Kathy Hochul achieved glory, without a glass ceiling in between, and will be the first woman elected as governor of the state of New York.
Despite the fact that initially there was no contest, given the Democratic prevalence, in recent weeks the distance has been closed thanks to succulent injections of money, especially from billionaire Ronald Lauder, to the campaign of Republican Lee Zeldin. There was even talk that New York could once again have a conservative governor after twenty years. At the moment, Zeldin did not concede the victory, in line with his admired Donald Trump.
At 64, Hochul has served as the state's top official since August 2021, when, as lieutenant governor, she took over the top job when Andrew Cuomo fell from grace. No one can dispute its merits anymore, and even more so after a stark campaign by Zeldin, a Trump-style replicant who dedicated himself to describing the Big Apple as a hell in which one cannot live in the midst of criminals and ruthless attacks on the citizens.
Each tells the story tailored to their narrative.
When Irene, a lifelong New Yorker, was asked her main reason for going to the polls, her response was instant, brief, and concise: "Democracy."
-It sounds a bit philosophical.
-I'm really scared. You think that if they don't accept the election results, this is over and if they tolerate violence it will no longer be the country I want to live in.
This woman, of mature age, exercised her right as a citizen in a polling station east of lower Manhattan during the mid-term election day in the United States.
This area of New York is not exactly Trump or Trumpist territory and that is reflected in the sorrows of those who turn out to vote. "What worries me most is the right to abortion and honestly the integrity of the elections because the deniers are idiots and they are destroying the country," says Beowoulf Boritz, a theatrical set designer.
Instead, things sound different, or at least something different is heard in Staten Island, the fifth district of the metropolis and the most disconnected. This is the conservative center of the Big Apple, the only one that has a Trumpist legislator, Nicole Malliotakis, who on Tuesday revalidated her seat in the lower house.
Malliotakis is one of the Republicans who endorsed the false electoral theft that Trump spread to try to perpetuate himself in power. So on Staten Island, at a Northwest polling station, they talk about the integrity of the election but in reverse and whenever it hurts the conservative candidate.
“They stole the election in 2020 and if the Democrats lose, they will steal it again,” one woman predicted, speaking to Gothamist. One of her colleagues offered passers-by counterfeit $100 bills illustrated with Trump's face. "There will be riots," insisted that woman
There were more voters who reiterated the conspiracy theory forged by the former president, which has only deepened not only the division, but also the confrontation between the two halves of the country.
But other voices alluded to crime and inflation, two of the issues most amplified by conservatives and that, as in many cities, have resonated strongly in New York and have become protagonists in the battle for the governor's seat. imperial state.
For Republicans, people are starving due to price increases caused by inflation, the issue that most worries the country's citizens (32%), ahead of abortion (27%), according to surveys conducted among voters, while crime remains at 11%, in the same percentage as the regulation of weapons.
The feeling in the electoral colleges that, despite the closeness in the polls, Hochul would clearly win was confirmed. He was more than six points ahead of Zeldin in the absence of finishing the count.
At the time of voting, Boritz attributed this supposed rapprochement between Hochul and Zeldin to the fact that “many do not want a woman to tell them what to do, I do not understand the fear of voting for a woman”. And he reminded that inflation is not just an American problem.
“I have lived my whole life in New York and crime has gone up and down. Yes, I'm a little scared, so I paid a little more attention”, remarks Irene. "Of course inflation is a problem and it has to be brought down," she stressed. “But the goose that lays the golden eggs should not be killed, the United States should not be killed because gasoline is more expensive,” she added.
Lawyer Sandip Bhattanarji congratulated himself that Hochul will win, because, in case of defeat, "it would be terrible for abortion and because, in general, Republicans are horrible people, racists, homophobes," he said.
But he showed understanding that the leads between the two hopefuls were trimmed. "People feel frustrated with inflation, with crime and we got out of covid, which has left citizens in a bad mood," she said.
Although from his point of view the insecurity has been exaggerated, he considered that it is not about putting more police, "there are already enough." Rather, “a reform of the criminal justice system is needed. “It is too easy for criminals to return to the streets. They are arrested and within hours they are free, this system of revolving doors must be ended,” he said.
These were the diagnoses and prescriptions at the polls, while in celebration of his victory, Hochul assured that "your voices have been heard loud and clear." And she thanked that "you have made me the first woman elected governor" in New York. "I'm not here to make history," she said, "I'm here to make a difference."
