Some Big Apple commuters fed up with crime underground stated Monday they’re planning to vote for Lee Zeldin for governor as a result of they’re bored with trying over their shoulder each time they get on the subway.
“Hochul won’t clean up the subway,” Philipp Pendel, 53, advised The Post on the 72nd Street subway station on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
“Me and my mom are on food stamps, but I still won’t let her take the subway by herself,” he stated. “If she needs to go somewhere, I will ride the subway with her, or we will pay for a cab. It’s expensive paying for cabs, but it’s better than letting her take the subway.”
Zeldin — a onetime long-shot Republican candidate who is now neck-and-neck with Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul after operating on a tough-on-crime platform — has vowed to make crime-fighting a prime precedence if he’s elected.
And it’s a message that has resonated with even longtime metropolis Democrats.
“I’ve always been a Democrat voter, but I am willing to take a chance on Zeldin to see if he can fix the crime,” stated Rachael Rosado, a 43-year-old medical assistant who lives close to Harlem, to The Post exterior of Manhattan’s 96th Street station.
“Crime was bad before Hochul, and it’s still bad. I don’t think Hochul caused the crime problem, but I don’t think she can fix it, either,” Rosado stated.
Earlier Monday, Hochul brushed off crime concerns when requested about them at a marketing campaign cease and accused Zeldin of “hyperventilating” over the important thing subject.
“He has been hyperventilating, trying to scare people for months, and New Yorkers are onto it. All the legitimate media organizations have called him out for what he is doing, fear-mongering,” Hochul advised reporters.
When requested in regards to the quote, Rosado stated actual New Yorkers know crime is a matter and accused Hochul, a local of upstate Buffalo, of being “dishonest.
“People who live in and pay taxes in New York know crime is a real problem for us,” stated Rosado, who depends on the subway to get round.
“There’s no fear-mongering. It’s clear as day there is crime everywhere.”
While transit crime is 4.2% decrease than it was pre-pandemic, it’s up greater than 40% this yr in comparison with 2021 — and when low ridership numbers are taken under consideration, commuters usually tend to be the victim of a felony crime
Chris Coluzzi, 59, was planning to vote for Hochul however stated he’s now on the fence as a result of he’s pissed off over her lack of ability to take subway crime seriously.
“Hochul’s not admitting we have a real problem. She’s cherry-picking statistics on gun violence and ignoring the real problem about crime on the subway,” Coluzzi stated on the 72nd Street station.
“I’ve been in New York for 23 years, and this is the first time I’ve felt unsafe on the subway, what with all the random punching, slashings and shovings. … It sounds crazy, but every time my wife takes the subway, I say goodbye to her like it could be the last time.”
John, who declined to present his final identify and works for the town Environmental Protection Agency, known as subway crime “uncontrolled.
“It’s dangerous down here. I don’t care what party they say is blowing it up and making it sound worse, but I know for a fact it’s dangerous down here,” stated the straphanger, who was commuting by means of the Atlantic Avenue subway station.
“Hochul isn’t doing anything, so how about change and choose someone else? I’m voting for Lee Zeldin.”
Other commuters polled by The Post stated they’re involved about crime underground however not sufficient to vote for Zeldin due to his views on abortion, LGBTQ rights and different progressive points.
“I would vote for Zeldin, but I don’t like his views on abortion. It’s a woman’s choice, not his,” stated Christina Esposito, 40, a nanny who lives in Astoria.
“But if I vote for Kathy, she really, really, really gotta come through on subway crime… I take the subway every day, and it makes me nervous,” Esposito stated.
“I’m a tough cookie, but I don’t feel safe on the subway.”
But Kathryn Schell, 37, stated she’s extra afraid of crossing the road with a child carriage than she is taking the subway.
“I would never vote for Lee Zeldin because of his positions on abortion, bail reform and transit funding. They’re just too right-wing,” stated Schell, who lives in Harlem.
“I always vote straight Democrat. I would never vote for a Republican. I didn’t even vote for [Mayor Eric] Adams because I would consider him a Republican.”
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