The mainstream media is scrambling to find a narrative other than the obvious to explain Democratic incumbent New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s slide in recent polling. What they resorted to is gender bias and likability.
It cannot be the crime issue that propelled Republican challenger Lee Zeldin into a virtual tie with Hochul. That’s too apparent and too difficult to defend against, even in a solid-blue state with a strong Democratic apparatus.
News organization City & State New York believes that the incumbent is “struggling with the same gender-related ‘likability’ issues that many blame for Hillary Clinton’s stunning 2016 presidential defeat.
NEW TRAFALGAR POLL🔴
Lee Zeldin leads the race for NY Governor
Zeldin – 48.4%
Hochul – 47.6%Some would call it a tie, but a lead is a lead. #Zeldin is in a great spot 7 days out with large crowds and monumental enthusiasm.#HochulMustGo#LeeZeldinForGovernor#RedWave2022 pic.twitter.com/KQkTIcrHv2
— John Sandor (@RealJohnSandor) November 1, 2022
Hochul continues to draw fire for steadfastly backing the much-deplored bail reform measures enacted in New York. She inexplicably claimed recently that cashless bail does not impact crime.
Zeldin, on the other hand, pledged to declare a crime emergency on the day he is inaugurated. He also vowed to fire George Soros-funded Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is viewed by many as absurdly soft on crime.
Yet some in the media continue to link her struggles with those of Clinton in 2016, drawing a straight line between the so-called “likability” issues that are blamed for their struggles.
A woman involved in politics who chose to remain anonymous told City & State New York that it is an “unconscious bias.”
Admitting that crime and public safety is the top issue voters want addressed, she said that it hurts Hochul to be female “and not an aggressive man.”
Political consultant Alexis Grenell, who specializes in gender issues and politics, said that it’s a “given” that the incumbent governor suffers from being a woman. She said that Zeldin charges that Hochul lacks “leadership.”
This, according to Grenell, is shown by “every piece of data we have” to entail qualities that are “coded as male.”
Polling data shows a gender gap in the race, though that is true in most political matchups. A Siena College survey last month revealed that Hochul leads Zeldin 61% to 32% among women but trails 55% to 41% among men.
The media often grasps for anything but what is staring it in the face. New Yorkers rightly are worried about the violent crime epidemic plaguing urban areas, and one candidate made that concern the centerpiece of his campaign. Despite claims to the contrary, it’s not complicated.
