Five takeaways from Hochul-Zeldin debate for NY governor

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Lee Zeldin squared off Tuesday night in their first and only debate of the governor's race, clashing over crime, abortion rights, economic development and more with just days to go before New Yorkers begin casting ballots in early voting on Saturday.

Hochul, a Democrat seeking her first full term on Nov. 8, fended off rapid-fire jabs from Zeldin and promoted her 14-month record as governor, while Zeldin, buoyed by recent polls showing him trailing by only modest margins, seized the televised platform to pummel his opponent, particularly on crime. He is seeking to become the first Republican to win statewide office in 20 years in New York, where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by 2 to 1.

"I'm here for one reason: to save our state," he declared in his opening statement, arguing Democrats have made New York less safe, less free and too expensive.

"You can focus on keeping people scared, or you can focus on keeping people safe," she said.

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Zeldin, who had demanded multiple debates around the state but had to settle for one, spent more time on offense, but Hochul kept her composure. Neither candidate landed a devastating blow or committed a gaffe or stumble that might alter the race. Here are some takeaways from the hour-long debate, held by Spectrum News at Pace University in New York City:

Zeldin hit hard on crime

Zeldin heatedly went after Hochul on crime, a focus of his campaign and the topic that took up nearly the first quarter of the debate. He assailed Democrats for "cashless bail" - a 2019 law restricting the jailing of defendants before trial - and vowed to declare a state of emergency to suspend that and other criminal justice reforms to force the Democratic-led Legislature to change them.

Hochul defended public safety steps she has taken or pledged, such as installing surveillance cameras on subways, and steered the conversation to gun violence, questioning why Zeldin didn't support doing in Congress a step that New York took this year: raising the minimum age for buying semiautomatic rifles to 21.

Zeldin retorted that the governor had said nothing in her answers about locking up criminals. "People are at home waiting for action," he said.

Hochul links Zeldin to Trump

Hochul, in her milder way, landed jabs by repeatedly tying Zeldin to Donald Trump - a potential turnoff for independent voters - and noting the congressman's votes to reject the electoral votes of two states President Joe Biden won in the 2020 election. She called Zeldin an "election denier" and used her one question-asking opportunity to ask her opponent if he thought Trump was "a great president."

Zeldin responded indirectly by reeling off what he thought were positive actions taken during Trump's term.

"I'll take that as a resounding yes, and the voters of New York do not agree with you," she said.

Not much substance on economy

The exchange on how to improve New York's economy sailed past without much elaboration or back-and-forth. Zeldin suggested the state should cap spending and lower taxes, without going into detail about which taxes and what spending he would cut to offset that lost revenue - an omission Hochul later noted. He also proposed repealing the state's ban on hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas to lift the economy in the Southern Tier region of the state.

"New York is going to be open for business, baby, January 1," he said.

Hochul made no mention of the fracking ban or the environmental reasons for it. Instead, she cited relief measures taken during her administration, such as suspending the gas tax and sending tax rebates to households, and chided Zeldin for voting in Congress against bills meant to improve the economy, including last year's bipartisan infrastructure funding bill.

Zeldin targets pay-to-play, Bills stadium subsidy

The Republican zeroed in on two other vulnerabilities: a major contract given without bidding to a Hochul campaign contributor; and a massive subsidy the state agreed to pay for the construction of a new Buffalo Bills stadium.

Zeldin accused Hochul of corruption for her administration's paying $637 million for COVID-19 home test kits to a New Jersey company whose owner donated more than $300,000 to her campaign through himself and family members. Hochul denied any link between the contracts and contributions, and explained the state had scrambled then to secure ample testing so students could return to in-person instruction.

Zeldin assailed the $600 million state subsidy for the new Bills stadium, saying Hochul blindsided lawmakers with that plan and scoffing at her insistence that the Bills might have left New York without it. "It was irresponsible on process and substance," he said, vowing to renegotiate the deal if elected.

Hochul defended the deal as a necessity to retain the Bills and keep ticket prices affordable, and said much of the state cost was offset by recovering unpaid casino revenue by the Seneca Nation.

Hochul targeted Zeldin on abortion

Hochul, whose campaign has blasted Zeldin in TV ads for opposing abortion rights, went after him for sponsoring an anti-abortion bill in Congress and saying he would appoint a pro-life health commissioner if elected governor. She warned that such a commissioner could take regulatory steps to undermine New York's legal protections for abortion access, such as closing an abortion clinic.

"That is a frightening spectacle," she said.

Zeldin replied that he would appoint the most qualified commissioners without a litmus test on issues, and pointed out that Hochul hadn't responded to the moderator's question: what abortion restrictions if any she would support.

Chris McKenna covers government and politics for the Times Herald-Record and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@th-record.com.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Hochul, Zeldin clash on crime, abortion, economy in NY governor debate