Hochul Faces Disaffection in New York as Republican Blakeman Courts Unhappy Democrats

In the US state of New York, Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman is courting disaffected Democratic voters as he seeks to unseat Governor Kathy Hochul, betting that frustration over affordability, crime and his party rival's leftward shift could help him make inroads with traditionally Democratic voters.

At a rally alongside Blakeman at the Crosstown Diner in the Bronx, former Democratic Bronx Assemblyman Stephen Kaufman delivered blistering criticism of the party's current direction. In his words, democratic socialists are gaining influence inside the party and moderate voices are being squeezed out.

Blakeman said that every time he goes out and meets people, another lifelong Democrat comes up to him saying they have never voted Republican but will vote for him this time.

Several Bronx voters at the rally expressed similar frustrations. They pointed to rising costs, public safety and the Democratic Party's increasingly progressive direction as reasons they feel politically abandoned.

A resident of the Bronx's Throggs Neck neighbourhood said this is no longer the Democratic Party of the past. Another voter complained that Governor Hochul had not stood up for homeowners.

One registered Democrat said he does not vote by party but by who will help him, his community and the middle class. The party's failure to address the needs of working families was driving his decisions, he said.

Blakeman argued that Hochul has raised taxes and utility rates many times, and that programmes like cashless bail make it easier for criminals to operate. He described Hochul's record in the harshest terms.

Kaufman said electricity rates have skyrocketed, gas lines were not permitted to be built and utility plants were closed. Hochul, he claimed, keeps moving harder to the left, which does not represent people in his neighbourhood.

Blakeman, in response, pledged the opposite approach. He said he would cut taxes, cut utility bills and make communities safer.

Pointing to his record as Nassau County executive, Blakeman said he has not raised taxes a penny in five years and has instead cut taxes by $150 million. He invited voters to compare his record with hers.

The report noted that the socialist wing of the Democratic Party has moved from the margins to positions of real political power, particularly in New York, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani became mayor and candidates backed by that wing went on to topple Democratic incumbents in congressional primaries.

The movement has also scored victories beyond New York, with a DSA-backed candidate defeating longtime Democratic Representative Diana DeGette in Colorado and a self-described democratic socialist capturing the Democratic mayoral nomination in Washington, D.C.

Hochul's office was reached for comment, but its response was not included in the report. Disaffected Democratic voters have thus become the most talked-about question in New York's race for governor.