Biden in Yonkers: Why Republicans are celebrating as President 'energizes' Democrats

With enthusiasm brimming for New York Republicans, President Joe Biden came to Yonkers on Sunday evening to stump for Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York Democratic ticket just 36 hours before polls open on Nov. 8.

It comes at a time of particular peril for New York's ruling Democrats, who control all statewide offices, have majorities in the state Assembly and Senate, and hold 21 of 29 New York seats in Congress. They find themselves on the defensive, with Republicans making inroads in a state where Democrats outnumber them 2-to-1 in party enrollments.

Biden's speech in Yonkers was the latest appearance of high-ranking national Democrats who have taken to the hustings in the Hudson Valley to boost turnout from the Democratic faithful. The president arrived a week after his wife, Jill, headlined a New Castle fundraiser for Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, and a month after he spoke at IBM in Poughkeepsie to tout his administration’s Science and CHIPS Act, alongside Hochul and Hudson Valley Congressmen in competitive races that could help determine if Democrats can hold their tight majorities in Washington, D.C.

He called on the students to vote, to maintain American democracy.

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"You are the best educated, you are the least prejudiced, you are the most involved generation," he said. "If you show up to vote, democracy is sustained."

Though Democrats celebrated the rare presidential appearance, with some calling the rally "energizing," Republicans, too, said it was reason to celebrate.

State Republicans are hoping for a repeat of 1994, when little-known freshman state Sen. George Pataki, a Putnam County Republican, ousted three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo in a surprise victory, with restoration of the death penalty and crime central to his campaign. President Bill Clinton stumped for Gov. Mario Cuomo that year, just four days before the election.

“New York Democrats are smashing the glass and pulling the fire alarm,” said NYGOP Chairman Nick Langworthy. “But calling in Biden to try and save Kathy Hochul is like bringing in the captain of the Titanic to save your sinking ship. I should say 'thank you' because it’s the perfect message to voters who are clamoring for a change from the failed Biden-Hochul agenda.”

Hochul responded to the idea the president's visit was a desperate move in her remarks ahead of Biden taking the stage: "Don’t question why someone wants to come to New York. Everyone wants to come to New York. It’s the greatest place to be."

Prior to the rally, Sarah Lawrence politics professor Samuel Abrams questioned whether the President of the United States would motivate the students − and Westchester voters − with his message.

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"I would dispute that he's a big gun," said Abrams. "It's more of a sign of the desperation on the side of Hochul, who is looking for help from someone who might not help. The fight in the middle, with voters fed up with crime, inflation, and government dysfunction."

Democrats, though disagree. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in his speech to open the rally said Biden and the Democratic majorities brought funding during the pandemic − for the children of impoverished families, for mass transit, and for essential workers such as firefighters, police officers and health care who labored while business shut down. They point to historic investments in strategies to combat climate change, semiconductor research, and rebuild the nation's road and bridge infrastructure.

Hochul's opponent, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-Suffolk, has hammered hard on street crime and the state's reform of its bail laws to galvanize Republicans 28 years after Pataki's triumph. But Democrats say they've responded with initiatives to control the sale of the guns that are used in committing those crimes.

What the Democrats said

Hochul vowed to help create good paying jobs, project our environment, invest in education, get guns off the streets and protect a woman’s right to protect her own body.

Zeldin, who opposes abortion rights, has said there's no reason for concern in New York if he is elected, because New York has strong laws in favor of reproductive rights.

Hochul Sunday said they won't change if she remains in charge.

"You know why nothing changed; because I’m the governor," she said.

The biggest cheers came when speeches touched on Biden's signature programs to appeal to the younger generation: the forgiveness of student debt of up to $20,000, which has withstood attempts to invalidate it in court, and investment in technologies to combat climate change.

Biden said 95% of the benefits will go to those earning less than $75,000 a year.

"It will let you have a little breathing room, and the MAGA Republicans are trying to stop it," said Biden.

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Democratic speakers included several high-ranking Democrats on the ballot: Hochul; Schumer; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-Yonkers; state Attorney General Letitia James; and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. Hochul is running alongside Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado; Alison Esposito is Zeldin's lieutenant governor running mate.

What attendees said

Sarah Lawrence students thronged the lawn, some holding Holchul-Delgado placards while others affixed stickers promoted state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. They cheered for student loan forgiveness, climate change initiatives and programs that support for the LGBTQ+ community. Some Republican supporters also attended, and interrupted Biden with their own cheers early in his address.

Kristy Hartman, who is 41 and originally from Yonkers, called the rally “energizing."

Kathleen Panov, a Spring Valley resident, said the last time she saw a president in person was George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001. “It’s been fun,” she said, adding the crowd at the rally seems hopeful. “Very good, positive energy. Not as doom and gloom.”

Westchester residents Niambi Murray, 43, and Susan Schwimmer, 68, said they attended the rally because they feel passionate about the issues at stake in the midterm elections.

Sarah Lawrence student Kyla Buss, 19, of San Diego, California said she'd already voted absentee back in her home state. Saturday, she volunteered with other Sarah Lawrence students in a voter registration drive to yielded about 20 new voters, including one who registered on his birthday.

She said the future of reproductive rights were on the minds of many of her college friends. She recalled sitting in a dorm room the night that the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It didn't affect her directly, with abortion rights remaining strong in both New York and California. But one of her friends lived in Florida, which has restricted abortions rights in the wake of the Dobbs decision.

"It was a weird mix," she said. "I was OK. But she wasn't."

Follow David McKay Wilson on Twitter @davidmckay415.

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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: President Biden visits Yonkers, Sarah Lawrence for Hochul