Why NYC Democrats are supporting Republican Lee Zeldin for governor - New York Post

A Democratic campaigner for New York authorities politician cannot beryllium elected without the backing of New York City’s immense fig of Democratic voters. But looking astir Gotham, you’d beryllium hard-pressed to find a azygous governmental motion supporting Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Democratic campaigner successful adjacent week’s election.

Meanwhile, signs for Republican campaigner Lee Zeldin are popping up crossed the metropolis — adjacent successful the Democratic stronghold of Queens.

In fact, erstwhile a newsman from The Post knocked connected the beforehand doors of the homes wherever “Zeldin for Governor” signs are displayed, galore of the radical wrong said they see themselves Democrats — but nevertheless program to ballot Republican connected Nov. 8.

“I consciousness the Democratic Party has near me, I didn’t permission the party,” said Phil Wong, 56, a longtime erstwhile Democrat who has planted a Zeldin motion extracurricular the Elmhurst location helium shares with his wife, kids and aged mother. “They near maine with each these utmost progressive policies that wounded New York City and wounded Asians.”

Phil Wong of Elmhurst, Queens, says the city’s spike successful transgression is driving galore of his chap Democrats to power sides and ballot for Republican Lee Zeldin for New York politician connected Nov. 8.Matthew McDermott

Wong, an migrant from Hong Kong, is the president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York and the erstwhile seat of the Community Education Council 24 successful Elmhurst. He has actively campaigned to sphere NYC’s gifted-and-talented programs and the SHSAT, the admissions trial utilized by the city’s astir selective precocious schools. He said the changing policies astatine metropolis nationalist schools is what’s spurring him to ballot for Zeldin, a Republican congressman from Long Island.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is not getting the ballot of galore Queens Democrats who are fed up with rising transgression and declining nationalist schoolhouse standards.Kevin C. Downs for NY Post

“Now it doesn’t substance however good you bash successful schoolhouse due to the fact that it’s nary longer based connected merit, it’s based connected a lottery,” said Wong.

“So suddenly, kids don’t adjacent privation to enactment hard anymore, due to the fact that the accidental of going into immoderate schoolhouse with a 95 mean volition beryllium the aforesaid arsenic the kid that’s astir to fail. That is not right, that conscionable tells kids that they tin conscionable goof disconnected and bent retired oregon bent astir and inactive get into the bully schools.”

Wong said helium besides believes that the spike successful superior crime — which, according to NYPD statistics, has accrued astir 36% implicit past twelvemonth from January to September — is wherefore he’s seeing much of his neighbors and friends successful Queens declaring their enactment for Zeldin.

“I spot much and much mean Democrats coming retired each time and saying they are going to ballot for Zeldin,” Wong told The Post. “We had a large metropolis nether Giuliani and Bloomberg, but erstwhile De Blasio came on, it went downhill. I utilized to consciousness safe, my ma felt harmless and my kids felt safe. I felt that they could spell out, play successful the park, spell to schoolhouse connected their ain and travel back. And present I don’t consciousness that anymore.”

John and Luz Schaffer are long-time Democrats who volition beryllium voting for Zeldin. They accidental Hochul’s deficiency of interest for rising transgression led them to their choice.Matthew McDermott

Not acold from Wong’s location successful Elmhurst lives John Schaffer, a machine engineer, and his wife, Luz, who works successful catering. Luz is Hispanic and a longtime Democrat; her hubby is simply a white, registered Democrat who simultaneously considers himself conservative. Despite casting their votes for Democrats successful the past, the mates is displaying a Zeldin motion successful their Halloween-themed beforehand yard.

“Kathy Hochul, conscionable successful the debate alone, you could spot that transgression was not important to her,” said John, who did not springiness his age. “What she really said was, why is it important?”

John said helium drives his woman to and from enactment if she has to spell precise aboriginal oregon instrumentality location precocious due to the fact that they some fearfulness rampant subway crime.

During her statement with Zeldin, Schaffer said, it was evident Hochul doesn’t attraction astir crime.AP

“It’s conscionable not safe,” helium said. “We’ve seen the videos. For that crushed unsocial I’m voting for Zeldin. But there’s truthful overmuch more. The Democratic Party has go truthful corrupt successful each way.”

“You tin spot however the metropolis is going down,” added Luz, who besides didn’t springiness her age. “You spot truthful galore homeless, truthful galore unsafe people. Everyone is frightened and we privation the metropolis would spell backmost to the mode it was before.”

In the adjacent Queens vicinity of Woodside, one-time Democrat Lucy Hensley, 51, who was calved successful Venezuela, is displaying a Zeldin motion extracurricular the modest, two-story location she shares with her husband, Luis Vielma.

Venezuela-born Lucy Hensley said she fears the left-leaning policies of the existent Democratic party, which she nary longer supports.Matthew McDermott

“We came present with nothing,” Hensley said. “We had zero and we present person a bully beingness without ever having had to beryllium connected the government. But what we’ve been seeing successful the US acknowledgment to Democratic policies is simply a disaster. Being Venezuelan, we recognize much than possibly galore others what is happening. We saw this hap successful Venezuela. We cognize however they start. We truly anticipation Zeldin wins.”

Most of the Zeldin signs spotted by The Post successful Queens tin beryllium recovered successful Richmond Hill, facilitated successful portion by retired seasoned authoritative James Quinn, who lives connected 112th Street. Quinn, a Republican, said helium enactment retired a batch of Zeldin signs successful his beforehand gait and a fig of his Democratic neighbors came by to prime up a fewer for their ain lawns.

A registered Republican, James Quinn said a batch of his Democratic neighbors person taken immoderate of his “Zeldin for Governor” signs to show connected their ain lawns.Matthew McDermott

“I get the consciousness that there’s a batch much radical who person ever voted Democrat but volition ballot Republican this year,” Quinn said. “I perceive them accidental that they consciousness determination is truly nary anticipation that Democratic politicians are going to reverse immoderate of these brainsick policies oregon bash thing to assistance lick each the problems we’re seeing successful the city.”

One of Quinn’s neighbors is simply a longtime metropolis bull who has ever voted Democrat. He did not privation to beryllium identified publically but helium said helium took a Zeldin motion from Quinn to bent extracurricular his location and helium plans to ballot Republican from present on.

One of Quinn’s neighbors who took a Zeldin motion was a longtime metropolis bull who has ever voted Democrat but told The Post: “We nary longer place with the Democrats.”Matthew McDermott

“All the unit that we’re seeing and each the ostentation and corruption is excessively overmuch for maine and my family,” helium told The Post. “We nary longer place with the Democrats. They are retired of interaction with the mediate people and the radical successful the community. They each person agendas, reasoning that it’s each astir conscionable being like, liberal. They deliberation everybody’s wide similar that but we aren’t. Our values align overmuch much present with what conservatives want.”