You might not think that someone as right-leaning as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis should be traveling to places as polar opposite as New York. After all, that is the home of liberals such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.
However, this past weekend that’s exactly what he did. Even more shocking is that people turned out in droves to not only see the man but praise him and his efforts in the Sunshine State.
DeSantis was in Long Island at the invitation of New York lawmaker and gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. With the midterm election just days away, it was Zeldin’s hope that someone as big hitting and nationally known as DeSantis could help propel him the last few inches needed to cross the finish line ahead of his Democratic opponent, current New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
So far in the race, Hochul has remained in the lead. But her margin ahead has been consistently narrowing for some time now. And during the last month alone, it has diminished rather significantly.
According to The Hill, a recent Emerson College Polling-Pix11-The Hill survey noted that while Hochul has received about 50 percent of the vote in the state, Zeldin has a whopping 44 percent. Additionally, a whole four percent is still undecided. Just to let you know, that’s a nine-point jump for Zeldin in the past month alone.
And with strong and deliberate men like Ron DeSantis at his side, that jump will likely not be the last he’ll see.
As DeSantis made clear during his speech in Long Island over the weekend, a large part of that is people’s growing concerns over rising crime in the state of New York.
In fact, according to most polls, the rise in crime and violence over the past couple of years is one of the top reasons people are heading to the polls this year. And it’s not just the Republicans who are concerned. As Rasmussen notes, some 81 percent of Democrats say crime is of major importance going into this year’s midterm elections.
So, of course, DeSantis pulled from that, bashing Democratic policies and leaders who have allowed cities like the Big Apple to become so crime-ridden.
He rightly said, “The crime problem has been totally self-inflicted – you cut police budgets, you do things like eliminate cash bail, and you have rogue prosecutors who won’t even enforce laws that they agree with – of course you’re going to have streets that are less safe.”
He went on to point out that, thanks to men and women like Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, NYC now sees crimes committed and the perpetrators released to roam free and act as they will sometimes within hours of being arrested. According to CBS News, Bragg has even refused to prosecute some types of what he calls “low-level” offenses.
But as DeSantis says, “If you do the crime, you must do the time.” And that’s exactly the type of law and order he says GOP candidate Zeldin will bring back to New York. According to DeSantis, criminals will not be “coddled” under Zeldin’s leadership as they currently are, where leaders seem more concerned about the rights of the criminals than they are of the victims. Instead, those perpetrating crimes will be held accountable.
As a result, DeSantis promised that their streets and neighborhoods would become safer.
And those words were met with much praise and adoration. More than a few thunderous moments of applause and cheers could be heard from the crowd.
As Dan McLaughlin noted, DeSantis really “stuck the landing” for Zeldin in New York.
Now, of course, it remains to be seen whether or not his exceptional performance will be enough to give Zeldin the jump he needs to beat out Hochul. But one thing is for certain; it didn’t hurt him. And it shows how much people around the US, not just those in more GOP-led states, appreciate the same values.
They all want safe streets and leaders who value the same. Hopefully, New Yorkers can prove that to Hochul at the ballot box.
