Harry Wilson
Primary Day is June 28, Early Voting has Started
Westchester democrats and republicans are heading to the polls, during early voting this week, and for the upcoming primary on June 28 for Governor and Assembly. Due to court cases and the redistricting of congressional lines in NY, another primary will be held in August for Congress and State Senate?
For the first time in decades, both major parties have competitive primaries for Governor. On the democratic side, Governor Kathy Hochul is running for the first time as Governor, after taking the position upon the resignation of Andrew Cuomo.
Hochul’s two opponents in the democratic primary are Congressman Tom Suozzi and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Suozzi has occupied the moderate lane of the NY democratic party, while Williams occupies the far left, progressive wing. Neither candidate has distinguished himself, nor given a rationale while they should be the NY Dems candidate for Governor.
This is despite a lot of bad news for NY State and for the Country, most notably crime, inflation, and gas prices. Hochul shouldn’t be blamed for inflation and gas prices but the problems of the party in charge in Washington DC trickles down to NY.
But Williams and Suozzi have not been able to land a knockout blow to Hochul’s campaign on either subject. Suozzi had the campaign cash, and experience, to stand toe to toe with Hochul, but he seems unable to connect with enough NY democrats to get close enough in the polls to stand a chance at victory.
Suozzi’s biggest mistake, in our view, was saying that he would accept the endorsement of Andrew Cuomo. Agreeing to accept an endorsement that will never come only annoyed or angered the many NY democrats who called on Cuomo to resign, and his victims of sexual harassment.
The other issue that Suozzi has tried to tarnish Hochul with is her prior support of gun rights and the NRA. We believe that it is OK for elected officials to change their minds, and “evolve” as Governor Hochul has on this issue. We like what we have seen from Governor Hochul and endorse her in the democratic primary June 28.
The republican primary for Governor is more complicated, with four candidates running to face off against the democratic nominee in November. Congressman Lee Zeldin, former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Businessman Harry
Wilson, and Andrew Giuliani are the four republicans seeking to become the first elected Governor in NY since George Pataki in 2002.
Zeldin is the endorsed candidate of the NY GOP. He has the support of most of the local GOPs across the state and should have closed the deal on a primary victory long ago. But for some reason, Zeldin has been unable to resonate, and appeal to a majority of New York republicans.
Part of the reason is that his record of serving in the NY State Senate before serving in Congress has become a major campaign issue. Harry Wilson has launched a TV ad campaign highlighting Zeldin’s prior support of Andrew Cuomo, and Zeldin’s own comments that Cuomo would make a good president.
We also agree with several other NY newspapers who reject Zeldin based on his vote against certifying the 2020 Presidential election of Joe Biden. Zeldin joined 146 republican members of Congress in that vote, but none of those other republicans are running for NY Governor. And in deep blue New York State, that vote, in our view disqualifies Zeldin and makes it impossible for him to win in November.
And in a year of voter anger at crime, inflation, gas prices and a lack of baby formula, a Red Wave is possible even in NY. Rob Astorino has run another good campaign for Governor. He ran in 2014 but was stabbed in the back by his fellow republicans (including Zeldin and Chris Christie) who forged an alliance with Andrew Cuomo and did not support his campaign.
Astorino would have been the logical alternative to Zeldin for NY republicans. But Harry Wilson decided to get into the race and has taken most of the energy and votes of republicans who don’t support Zeldin.
And while Astorino has tried to distance himself from Trump and January 6, 2021, there is a playbook from 2017 that NY democrats will use against him if he wins this NY GOP primary.
Westchester democrats played the Trump card against Astorino, and he lost to George Latimer in his re-election bid for Westchester County Executive by 16 points. And the photo of Astorino visiting Trump in the Oval is still out there, ready to be pounded away on TV and in the mail.
We have appreciated and respected Astorino’s service to Westchester and to NY State. Andrew Giuliani has been unable to distinguish himself in any of the debates, nor present a reason why he shoud be elected governor.
We endorse Harry Wilson in the republican primary for Governor.
Zeldin has tried to counterattack Wilson’s effective ad campaign against him by highlighting two points; that Wilson did not vote for Trump in 2020 (he voted for SC governor Nikki Haley) and that he worked for former President Obama.
Wilson will have to win over republicans, independents and moderate democrats in order to win in November, and the two facts that Zeldin has used to try and harm Wilson will help him in November, in our view.
Wilson helped save General Motors after the financial collapse of 2008, saving millions of American jobs. That experience is a badge of honor, in our view, and is desperately needed in New York state.
Wilson is also detached from Trump, so that democrats can’t use it against him. Wilson is not a career politician, and as an outsider, can truly reach out to every New Yorker. And he has the resources to make the 2022 race for Governor a real contest, something we haven’t seen in 20 years.
Kathy Hochul and Harry Wilson would give New York voters the best options when they vote in November.
