Saratoga, N.Y., – In case you missed it, House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik joined the David Bellavia Show on WBEN about Gov. Kathy Hochul's failed bail reform, the prioritization of illegal aliens, and Siena polling.
View highlights from Chairwoman Stefanik's interview:
On New York's Failed Reform
Elise Stefanik:
It's going to be an issue. And you know what Kathy Hochul and Democrats across New York were spending their time on yesterday? They were doubling down on failed bail reform, saying that there was no crime crisis in New York State. You ask any New Yorker: Republican, Democrat, Independent. They will all tell you, New York has become less safe because of the single-party, Democrat rule that is double and tripling down on failed bail reform. This is a policy that prioritizes criminals over law-abiding New Yorkers. You talk to anyone in law enforcement, our county sheriffs, our troopers, our DAs. We're dealing with repeat offenders over and over again, and these are violent criminals who are being let into the streets. This recent news in Buffalo, where they had to close down the JFK pool, which kids need those resources during the summer, and it was because of the crime crisis. And yet you have Democrats, led by Kathy Hochul, doubling down on this. The crime crisis will be a top issue as it is this year it will be next year.
On Hochul Prioritizing Illegal Aliens
Elise Stefanik:
I've been the leader at the national level in terms of raising awareness nationally of the security challenges on our northern border. We need more Border Patrol. We need more personnel and resources on our northern border. And did you know that if you look at the individuals on the terrorist watch list, the number one sector where those illegal crossings cross is in the Swanton Sector, which is the region, as you know, from Buffalo to my District. So this is a crisis, and yet Kathy Hochul is prioritizing illegals. We are a sanctuary state. That was the first executive order she signed, and then she went on to sign it three times total. And then she testifies in front of Congress saying, 'We're not a sanctuary state.' Look at the executive order Kathy, New Yorkers are smart. They know this. We have worked very closely with our CBP officers, our Border Patrol officers, as well as local elected officials, local law enforcement, whether it's the insane green light law which Democrats have put forward, not allowing our law enforcement to work with our Border Patrol to make sure that we're securing the border. And we know the importance of balancing the economic partnership with Canada, always putting New York First, but that important trading partnership, but you have to secure the northern border. Kathy Hochul has failed in that respect, too. And of course, she's failed if you look at the crime crisis and the illegals put first in New York City.
On Hochul's Crime Crises
Elise Stefanik:
We are going to step in and fix this crime crisis for her because she has failed at this job. It's why Democrat polling continues to be in free fall. It's why she is known as the worst governor in America. And to talk a little bit more about that hearing, I've had a lot of hearings over the years. I've seen all types of witnesses, well-prepared witnesses, witnesses that aren't prepared. I've dealt with cabinet-level officials taking down university presidents. I was honestly surprised how ill-prepared and out of touch she was on very easy questions, to be honest with you, whether it was talking about the homeless New Yorker who was burnt alive on a subway by an illegal. It was front page news every day. New Yorkers know about this, and Kathy Hochul claimed she was not aware of this, or the rapes of minors that were committed by illegals who, because of sanctuary state policies, have been allowed to stay in New York State. Kathy Hochul said she wasn't aware. Not only was it appalling, it's out of touch, and frankly, it's inhumane. We need a governor that focuses on putting New Yorkers first, that stands up for the rule of law instead of spending billions of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars for services for illegals while New Yorkers are struggling.
On Siena Polling
David Bellavia:
A Sienna poll just came out that shows three-quarters of Republicans are with you, ma'am, but the big key is independents, they're leaning and trending towards you. Hochul can have New York City, but if the independents turn now, this is a real race.
...
You know, people talk about previous polls, but as far as I'm concerned, this is the first poll that all the other ones had all these different Republicans who could throw their hat in the ring. This is the first one-on-one. And if you go back to Gov. Pataki and Mario Cuomo, and you look at these numbers - I can tell you what's in Kathy Hochul's head at 2 AM, and her name is Elise Stefanik. This is a really bad trend if you're Kathy Hochul. Far too close. But the margins that you're looking at right now with independents and the fact that Republicans are now saying this is our candidate. There are no names. We're all behind this one candidate. You don't even have Democrats saying - you still have people talking about maybe Hochul could be replaced with someone else. Republicans, three-quarters of them are with you, and independents are moving to your side. This is the best shot we've had since Pataki.
On Siena Polling
Elise Stefanik:
I was excited to look at the results of that poll. And if you look at Lee Zeldin, he ran a tremendous campaign, and no one paid attention until that final poll in October that showed him about the same as this poll. He was within 12 to 11 points. We are closing this gap a year and a half out, and it's because Kathy Hochul in the last cycle was undefined, because she replaced Cuomo on the ballot. Kathy Hochul owns this misery and the destruction in New York State. We are going to go on offense, winning independents and winning a fair percentage of Democrats. This is what I've done in my district. I'm proud to be the longest-serving New York Republican in Congress. People may forget, but my district was Democrat before I ran in 2014. Not only did we win Republicans, we overwhelmingly won independents, and we peeled off about 20 to 25 percent of registered Democrats, people who are looking for a strong leader who delivers results to New York, and specifically, in my case, in Congress, to the district. So that's what we're going to continue to focus on. We have an opportunity to grow those numbers. Her numbers are only going to decline. And the kiss of death as a candidate, which Kathy Hochul has in common with Kamala Harris, is that the more voters hear from her, the less they support her. So while she continues to put herself out there, the numbers continue to drop. We are going to continue to put our vision out there and hope to earn and work to earn more support from New Yorkers across party lines.
On Potential Governor Race
Bellavia:
This [Stefanik] is one of the toughest Republicans on Capitol Hill, a trusted member of this administration, to go out there and do the work that nobody has the courage to do. And New York needs this type of warrior running the governor's mansion.
...
Elise Stefanik is closing on Kathy Hochul. She's a congresswoman in the New York 21st District. She knows the issues. She's super aggressive on these issues. She's got her facts, she's unafraid, she's unapologetic, and she's absolutely a barracuda in a debate. And this is something Kathy Hochul has not had before.
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