Lee Zeldin vows he ‘will not’ change NY abortion law if elected governor in new ad

Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin — who has maintained his anti-abortion stance unwaveringly — vows in a new campaign ad that he “will not” move to overturn New York’s abortion rights law if elected governor.

The stunning 30-second spot comes after incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Democrats have for weeks run a barrage of ads trying to paint Zeldin as an extremist who would take away a woman’s right to choose over his pro-life position.

In the new ad, Zeldin, a Long Island congressman, looks directly into the camera to discuss the volatile issue.

“Let me be clear. As governor, I will not change and could not change New York’s abortion law,” Zeldin says.

“Hochul already knows that. But she tried to deceive you anyhow, which tells you everything you’ll ever need to know about Kathy Hochul.”

It’s the first time that Zeldin has used the phrase “I will not” try to overturn the abortion law. He typically says he couldn’t anyway because pro-choice Democrats control the state legislature.

Lee Zeldin
Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin vows he “will not” move to overturn New York’s abortion rights law.
Zeldin for New York

That had — until now — left an opening for the Hochul campaign to hammer away at fears among women voters in the state and detract from issues like rising crime and Hochul’s inaction on changing state bail reforms that have left many repeat offenders on the streets.

The ad starts off with Zeldin claiming that Hochul has been using the issue to distract voters from her record on rising crime due to bail reforms and other factors, accusations of pay to play corruption and the sky-high cost of living under a Biden administration that she supports.

“Kathy Hochul knows, the more you focus on her record — rising crime, pay-to-play corruption, higher cost of living — the less you’ll want her as governor. So she needs to change the subject. Her latest attempt — trying to deceive New Yorkers about abortion,” Zeldin’s voice over says over images of Hochul before he makes his “will not change” pledge.

The move comes as some recent polls have shown the race tightening. A Marist College survey released Thursday had Hochul leading Zeldin by just 8 percentage points — 52% to 44% — among the most likely voters.

One surprised Republican consultant said Zeldin was taking a “bold risk” that could shake up the race. 

“It’s a risk that has a lot more upside than downside,” said William O’Riley, who worked on the last two Republican gubernatorial campaigns, for Rob Astorino in 2014 and Marc Molinaro in 2018.

Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul in Lee Zeldin ad
Zeldin states in the ad that Hochul tried to “deceive” voters into thinking he would overturn the state’s abortion rights law.
Zeldin for New York

“I think this is a two- to three-point race. Zeldin is attempting to take the abortion issue off the table. The abortion law in New York is not going to change.”

Pro-choice Democrats are in firm control of the state Legislature. The New York State abortion law was strengthened in 2019, before the US Supreme Court in June overturned the Roe vs. Wade ruling that had for 50 years made abortion a national right and put the issue before the states. 

The Hochul camp responded that the Zeldin ad is a “flip-flop” and tried to paint it as a desperate attempt to walk away from his anti-abortion record weeks before the Nov. 8 election.

“Zeldin is desperate because he knows his anti-abortion agenda is disqualifying. Voters will see right through this pathetic lie and will never vote for a far-right extremist like Lee Zeldin who celebrated the overturning of Roe and vowed to appoint a pro-life health commissioner,” said Hochul campaign spokeswoman Jen Goodman.

Lee Zeldin
As the race gets closer, the candidates continue to bash each other in the public eye.
James Messerschmidt for NY Post

State Democratic Party chairman and Hochul ally Jay Jacobs chimed in, “New Yorkers are not stupid. During the primary, Zeldin made statements that he would hire a pro-life commissioner of the state Health Department.”

“This is a desperate attempt to try to neutralize an issue that is fatal to any chance for him to become governor. He can’t win in New York State being anti-abortion — nor should he.”

Hochul herself later tweeted, “No matter what Zeldin says, his record speaks for itself — he celebrated the end of Roe, voted to defund Planned Parenthood, and pledged to appoint a pro-life health commissioner.

“New Yorkers will see through his lies and reject his extremism in November,” she added.

The Zeldin campaign Thursday night defended the seven figure ad buy that is running on digital sites and will hit TV. 

“Congressman Zeldin has said time and time again that he could not change and would not change abortion laws in New York. He also supports exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, which is also consistent with his voting record,” said Zeldin campaign spokeswoman Katie Vincenz.

“Maybe if Hochul wasn’t such a coward continuing to refuse Congressman Zeldin’s continued requests for multiple debates across the state, voters wouldn’t be so purposefully confused by Hochul’s lies and deception. They also would be able to hear directly from the candidates on the issues that voters consistently say are their most important, including rising crime, and a skyrocketing cost of living. Congressman Zeldin is more motivated than ever to save our state and that means saving New York from Kathy Hochul.”

Content Source

Dallas Press News – Latest News:
Dallas Local News || Fort Worth Local News | Texas State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Business News || Health News

Related Articles

Back to top button