Kathy Hochul’s ‘anti-American’ views

Nov 04, 2024

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Gov. Kathy Hochul waves in front of an American flag.

Gov. Kathy Hochul described Trump supporters as anti-American, drawing backlash from the former president's party a day before Election Day. | Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

UNFORCED ERRORS: People who show up to a Trump rally are “clowns.”

New Yorkers who support Marc Molinaro or Lee Zeldin are “not New Yorkers” — and should "jump on a bus" and "get outta town."

And anyone who votes for Donald Trump is “anti-American.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul has a penchant for disparaging Republicans — and they are quick to pounce on her for it. In the final 24 hours before Election Day, that habit is fueling the GOP’s narrative that elitist Democrats think they’re better than Republican voters.

After the governor labeled Trump supporters as “anti-woman” and “anti-American” on MSNBC Saturday, the GOP leapt into action, seeking to convert the barb into an 11th-hour gift for their battleground candidates who were already keen on tying their opponents to the unpopular governor.

Reps. Marc Molinaro, Mike Lawler, Anthony D’Esposito said it was “incoherent,” “intolerant” and “disgusting and inflammatory.” The partisan New York Post featured Hochul’s gaffe on its cover today, under the headline “GOV AND HATE.” And House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik lumped it with other comments from Democrats, who have called Trump supporters “Nazis” and “deplorables.”

The governor’s team doesn’t want to comment on the remark.

Meanwhile, as her favorability hovers around 36 percent, Hochul has largely avoided appearing with Democratic candidates in some of the state’s most competitive battleground districts — even as she stumps for Vice President Kamala Harris in battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan with other Democratic governors.

Instead, the governor has joined candidates in less competitive races in the state. Rep. Pat Ryan, who holds a good chance of winning, hosted the governor on Saturday. John Avlon, whose victory seems unlikely, welcomed her over the weekend too.

(During a Saturday event with the governor and volunteers for Mondaire Jones, Jones was notably missing… more on their beef here).

The “anti-American” remarks are the latest example of how Hochul’s role as a national Democratic surrogate has been occasionally marred by unforced errors that bolster New York Republicans already quick to paint her as a boogeyman.

The gaffe comes days after President Joe Biden garnered anger and confusion after he might have — or might not have — called Trump supporters “garbage.”

Republicans are also no stranger either to disparaging the other side — self-described bipartisan Mike Lawler said Democrats “hate this country” at a Republican fundraiser and Trump routinely smears Democrats and Harris supporters.

Still, Democrats distanced themselves from the tenor of Hochul’s remarks.

“We have repeatedly made clear that we’re going to fight hard for every single voter, Democrats, Republicans and independents, and particularly traditional Republicans, and we will stand up for every single American when it’s time to govern,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — whom Hochul is hoping to make Speaker of the House — said today of her remarks.

Mayor Eric Adams defended Hochul, saying she did not intend to “be harmful in any way,” but added, “we need to show decorum as we deal with this very emotional issue.”

Meanwhile, Ryan and Avlon rejected the notion her gaffes could hurt her ability to be an effective surrogate.

“Governor Hochul’s revitalized state party has helped put us in a position to win this race and Republicans can spare their crocodile tears,” Avlon said in a statement, referring to the increased spending out of the Democratic coffers she controls.

“We’re lucky to have a partner like Governor Hochul in this fight — thanks to her unprecedented work with the coordinated campaign, we are going to flip the House and make Hakeem Jeffries Speaker,” Ryan added. — Jason Beeferman

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From The Campaign Trail

State Sen. Iwen Chu (center) stands with two supporters campaigning outside a poll site in Bath Beach, Brooklyn.

State Sen. Iwen Chu and two supporters campaign for the Democrats' reelection outside an early voting site in Bath Beach, Brooklyn on Nov. 2, 2024. | Jeff Coltin/POLITICO

BATTLEGROUND BK: Brooklynites want to remind New York Democrats that there are competitive races in the five boroughs too — not just the suburbs and Pennsylvania.

"Southern Brooklyn has always been a swing state,” said City Council Member Justin Brannan, who represents the area. “We've turned southern Brooklyn from red to purple by fighting to win every vote. After we win, we represent everyone — no matter who they voted for."

Top races include Democratic state Sen. Iwen Chu trying to fend off retired cop Steve Chan, a Republican, and Democrats Chris McCreight and Joey Saban trying to flip seats held by Republican Assemblymembers Alec Brook-Krasny and Michael Novakhov respectively. State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat, also isn’t taking anything for granted against Republican Marko Kepi.

Party ID isn’t straightforward in neighborhoods like Bensonhurst, where Chan is running with the all-but-official support of Assemblymember Bill Colton. And Brook-Krasny was previously elected as a Democrat, but followed the trend among many fellow Russian speakers who have embraced Trump.

Dems’ longer term goal is to build back strength to make a serious challenge to GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who represents a chunk of southern Brooklyn. “Build the muscle memory of successful campaigns,” said Democratic consultant Jon Paul Lupo. “It’s an incredibly important step.” — Jeff Coltin

CERTIFICATION ANXIETY: Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on the eve of Election Day said a scenario in which House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to certify the presidential race results is a “hypothetical” but also called Republicans “irresponsible” for declining to commit to the process.

“I think it’s irresponsible that House Republicans have repeatedly refused to state unequivocally that they will certify the election results, even if they disagree with the outcome,” Jeffries said while stumping for House candidates in New York’s Hudson Valley. “House Democrats have made clear that we are going to stand up for the peaceful transfer of power, because that is what we do in America.”

The House’s highest-ranking Democrat also said he didn’t believe such a stalemate would occur because he is confident his party will retake the majority. That said, Democratic leaders have made it clear they’d certify a Trump victory if it happened and that they want a drama-free transfer of power. — Emily Ngo

FROM THE CAPITOL

Republicans rally against New York's proposed Equal Rights Amendment.

Proponents of the Equal Rights Amendment, a pro-abortion ballot proposal, are spending on direct voter outreach in the final days of their campaign as they face strong opposition from Republicans. | Bill Mahoney/POLITICO

WE DID IT: The ballot committee pushing for the approval of an amendment meant to solidify abortion rights in the state constitution was bullish on the proposal’s chances today, as its top official outlined its voter outreach efforts.

The group touted its suite of digital and TV ads and direct mail meant to promote the amendment as well as door knocking efforts.

“From community meetings to rallies to door-to-door outreach, we’ve educated New Yorkers across the state about why we must enshrine our rights and reproductive freedoms in the state constitution,” wrote Sasha Ahuja, the group’s campaign director, in a memo released this afternoon.

Read a different way, the missive is also the latest salvo in the behind-the-scenes recriminations that have been taking place among Democrats and supporters of the amendment.

The measure is meant to guarantee a broad array of rights in the state constitution, including safeguards for LGBTQ+ people.

Democratic operatives over the summer became concerned opponents of the amendment were able to take advantage of the expansive language and had made gains with voters by raising the specter of trans people playing in girls’ sports. More recently, amendment opponents have said the measure could lead to non-citizens voting in New York elections.

And over the weekend, the Vote No On Prop One Committee highlighted opposition from the New York State Sheriff’s Association, which said the amendment would create problems for gender classification at jail facilities.

While supporters have called the allegations baseless, the internal dispute over funding a pro-amendment push has erupted into public view.

Hochul and the state Democratic Committee have steered $2 million to propping up the amendment. And New Yorkers for Equal Rights have come under fire for spending much of its cash on consultants.

The memo released today also rebuts some of that criticism by noting that since the latest public filing, its total voter outreach spending has hit $5.1 million. — Nick Reisman

MEANWHILE… On the campaign trail, GOP Rep. Nick LaLota and Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan are both distributing lawn signs about the ballot proposal — but for opposing reasons.

LaLota’s signs on Long Island read “protect girls’ sports” in pink with his logo.

Ryan’s campaign has lawn signs in the Hudson Valley that read “choice is on the ballot” in pink.

“Prop 1 has turned contentious because there’s just an absolute misinformation campaign of straight-up lies behind it,” Ryan told Playbook today, adding that his priorities have been “really synergistic” with the Prop 1 campaign.

Ryan faces Republican Alison Esposito, who has said in debates that speaking as a gay person, she does not believe Prop 1 to be about LGBTQ+ rights but rather girls’ safety and sports. LaLota faces Democrat John Avlon, who told Playbook LaLota’s focus on Prop 1 is “a sign of desperation because it is a fundamental misrepresentation of the bill.” — Emily Ngo

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FROM CITY HALL

A man sits at a brown wooden table while a woman congratulates him and another woman claps.

Mayor Eric Adams signed the hotel licensing bill after City Council Member Julie Menin negotiated with several hospitality groups. | Timmy Facciola

NEW YORK HOSPITALITY: Adams signed a controversial hotel licensing bill intended to improve public safety in and around hotels today, after months of negotiations with several hospitality groups who initially opposed the measure.

“This is in the spirit and energy of lifting up working people,” Adams said. “When working people do well, the entire city is in a better place.”

Known as the Safe Hotels Act, the bill will require New York hotel operators to acquire licenses, employ 24-7 front desk assistance, and equip core employees with panic buttons and training to identify human trafficking. Larger hotels — those with more than 100 rooms — will need a security guard on-duty at all hours. It passed City Council two weeks prior by a vote of 45 to 4.

“We all know that tourism is, as the mayor and commissioner said, such an important economic driver of our great city, but it’s unacceptable that certain bad actor hotels accounted for 39 murders and over 14,000 criminal complaints to the NYPD in recent years,” said Council Member Julie Menin, who sponsored the bill.

The measure will also give the New York Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, a politically influential union, more leverage in upcoming contract negotiations with hotel owners.

The Hotel Association of New York City initially initially opposed the bill, but changed its position after the City Council added exemptions for small hotels.

The association’s president and CEO, Vijay Dandapani, said in a statement , “the legislation will create a fair and practical standard for hotels that will protect both our industry and employees.”

The union has long supported the measure.

Other hospitality groups, like the American Hotel & Lodging Association, maintained their opposition and condemned the bill’s passage, calling it a “special interest power play that will do irreparable harm to the city’s hotel industry and tourism economy,” in a press release.

Menin handled negotiations with the hotel associations to get the bill passed. It’s a significant political victory ahead of her likely bid for council speaker in 2025. — Timmy Facciola

IN OTHER NEWS...

— WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?: The state trooper who said he was shot in the leg at a Long Island highway traffic stop on Wednesday is now the subject of an internal probe. (Times Union)

— PRAYING FOR RAIN: New York City is under a drought watch as city officials urge New Yorkers to try to conserve their water usage. (THE CITY)

— NYPD LEADERS SCUFFLE: The city’s police commissioner and the department’s acting chief of staff got into a heated altercation — where the two men had to be separated — during Sunday’s New York Marathon. (The New York Times)

— EARLY VOTING SOARS: There were about half a million more New Yorkers who voted early this year when compared to last year, with the early vote surging in battleground congressional districts. (Times Union)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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