(Headline USA) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., blamed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state Democrats for downplaying crime as the reason their party lost so many congressional seats in the state during the midterm elections.
During an interview with the New York Times, Pelosi admitted that crime was a critical issue for voters and blasted Hochul for not dealing with it quickly enough to impact the midterms.
“That is an issue that had to be dealt with early on, not 10 days before the election,” Pelosi said. “The governor didn’t realize soon enough where the trouble was.”
Hochul defeated Republican challenger Lee Zeldin, who made rising crime rates in New York the focal point of his campaign. However, the race was much closer than expected, with Zeldin reducing Hochul’s lead significantly during the final weeks before the election.
Hochul continuously downplayed crime, claiming Zeldin and other Republicans were trying to “create a sense of fear in people’s minds.”
“These are master manipulators. They have this conspiracy going all across America trying to convince people that in Democratic states that they’re not as safe,” Hochul said of Republicans last November. “Well guess what? They’re also not only election deniers, they’re data deniers.”
.@leezeldin: "She still hasn’t talked about locking up anyone committing any crimes.”
Democrat Kathy Hochul: "I don’t know why that’s so important to you.” pic.twitter.com/Cz6VTMSQzk
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 26, 2022
It wasn’t until Nov. 3, just five days before the election, that Hochul admitted there was a crime problem.
“I acknowledge there is a crime issue,” Hochul told a local radio station. “It’s not new to me because it’s election time, I’ve been working on this throughout my entire time as governor.”
Pelosi was also asked whether President Joe Biden should run for the White House again, given his age.
“Is age a positive thing for him? No,” Pelosi admitted, before claiming that age is a “relative thing.”
“I think we have other great candidates when the time comes,” she added.
