Worried Democrats Scramble to Save Kathy Hochul in New York’s Governor’s Race as Republican Lee Zeldin Surges

Worried Democrats are lining up to save New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) from a major upset as Rep. Lee Zeldin has surged in the polls with only a week left before the election.

After multiple polls have shown Zeldin either leading Hochul or within striking distance of winning the gubernatorial race — something a Republican has not done in over 20 years — the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is throwing money into the race after initially not planning to spend anything.

Via the New York Times:

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida visited Long Island on Saturday night; hours earlier, former President Bill Clinton was the star attraction at a rally in Rockland County. And on the airwaves, former President Barack Obama lent his voice in support of Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat facing an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Representative Lee Zeldin, a Republican [Emphasis added].

…

In a sign of how close the governor’s race has gotten, the Democratic Governors Association filed paperwork in recent days to form a super PAC in New York that will prop up Ms. Hochul on TV and try to stave off losses further down the ballot. After watching from the sidelines for months, the group will now join prominent labor groups in rushing to start spending on behalf of Ms. Hochul in the race’s final days, as concerned Democrats scramble to ensure that their base turns out to vote [Emphasis added].

…

The Democratic Governors Association had not initially planned to spend on the race, but as polls have tightened and the Republican Governors Association began dumping $2 million into a pro-Zeldin super PAC, the Democrats decided to act. A spokesman for the D.G.A., David Turner, did not say how much it planned to spend [Emphasis added].

Earlier this month, a Quinnipiac University poll showed that Zeldin was only running four points behind Hochul — 50 percent to the Republican congressman’s 46 percent with a 2.4 percent margin of error taken from October 12 to 16.

Then, a SurveyUSA and News10NBC poll from October 14 to 18 with a 5.4 percent margin of error showed Hochul under 50 percent, at 47 percent, with Zeldin at 41 percent, a 16-point swing in his favor with likely voters since August when the poll was 55 percent to 31 percent in the Democrat’s favor.

Shortly after, a shock co/efficient poll from October 18 to 19, with a 3.31 percent margin of error, was released, showing Zeldin slightly leading Hochul 45.6 percent to 45.3 percent with likely New York voters. Co/efficient pollster Ryan Munce found that his company’s poll showed that Zeldin had an advantage over Hochul primarily due to increasing support among registered Democrats.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.