Four Republican candidates for governor to debate
Lee Zeldin, left, Harry Wilson, Rob Astorino and Andrew Giuliani are all running in the Republican primary for governor June 28. Credit: Newsday File
ALBANY — Four Republican candidates running for their party’s nomination for governor will take on each other in a televised debate Monday with a common target in Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The debate between the competitors in the GOP's June 28 primary will be televised and live streamed on WCBS 2 and on WCBS TV, as well as broadcast on WCBS/880 AM radio.
Former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, former Trump administration official Andrew Giuliani, business owner Harry Wilson and Rep. Lee Zeldin are expected to explain how they would solve a series of problems New York is facing.
Their issues include rising crime, the elimination of bail for most nonviolent crimes, the dangers of all-Democratic, progressive rule in state government, rising spending and high taxes, COVID-19 health mandates that they say infringed on peoples’ rights, rising inflation and gas prices, and an exodus of New Yorkers to lower-cost states.
“We lead the whole country in population loss,” said Zeldin, 42, a three-term congressman from Shirley. “Why is that? People are hitting their breaking point … they are deciding they can’t afford to survive in New York. They don’t feel safe on our streets and in the subways and in their businesses.”
Responding to last week’s Democratic debate of candidates for governor, Zeldin focused on Hochul’s support of congestion pricing. The plan would charge fees for traffic going into New York City as a way to encourage use of public transit, reduce pollution and the strain on people with asthma and other respiratory ailments, and raise funds for mass transportation improvements. Zeldin said the measure would unnecessarily hamper commerce and residents.
Wilson, 50, of Scarsdale made his Wall Street fortune turning around failing businesses as well as the auto industry during the 2008 recession. Wilson cites crime as key issue and faults the whole political class, including Zeldin, for overspending and inefficiency of government. Wilson called Zeldin the “favorite Republican” of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo because Zeldin as a state senator voted for Cuomo’s budgets.
“Only an outsider can make New York safe again,” said Wilson said in upstate’s Johnstown, where he was raised.
Wilson fits the mold of the Rockefeller Republican that is rare in today’s polarized politics: He supports abortion rights and is more moderate than his Republican opponents. But he said he won’t focus on social issues, and instead will address “turning around New York.”
Giuliani, 36, of Manhattan also said he is the Republican who can restore New York to glory. He often cites his father, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former President Donald Trump as examples of his view of strong, effective leaders.
Last week Giuliani, a former professional golfer who now works in finance, pushed back at Democrats’ efforts in Albany and in Washington to enact more gun legislation following the mass shootings in Buffalo and in Texas. He refers to Hochul as “crime wave Kathy.”
“Anyone who believes that gun control is the answer should check out the violent crime statistics in Chicago, where the laws are strict and the shootings are rampant,” Giuliani said. “It’s time to empower police and judges to keep violent criminals behind bars.”
Astorino, 55, of South Salem, prominently displays on his website a 2017 headline from the Westchester-Rockland Journal News while he was county executive that called him “a rare politician who lived up to his promises.”
Astorino highlights his experience in dealing with Albany and his record of working with a Democratic-led county legislature in Westchester while not raising taxes as he managed one of the state’s biggest counties for two terms.
“I’ve done very well with Democratic crossover votes,” said Astorino, the GOP’s 2014 nominee for governor. He cited reducing crime, lowering taxes and creating jobs among his concerns. “These are issues that transcend party lines … You have to be honest and you have to be bold, and I will be. I’ve done it before.”
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
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