By Dan Murphy
Based on recent polling, an ability to connect with voters on the campaign trail, a recent endorsement from Curtis Sliwa, and a famous last name, it’s time for the media and the people of New York State to take the campaign of Andrew Giuliani seriously.
On Dec. 26, Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels and the Republican nominee for Mayor of New York City, announced that he is backing Andrew Giuliani for NY Governor in 2022. Sliwa told the New York Post, “I ran into Andrew all the time on the campaign trail. I observed the way he works a crowd. He plunges into a crowd like it’s a mosh pit,” further explaining that, “Andrew is a natural when it comes to retail politics. He’s even better than Rudy.”
Andrew’s Giuliani’s plan to save New York is resonating with voters. In the last four polls, he has held a consistent lead since last summer, with every Siena College Research Institute poll giving him a double-digit advantage. This data proves that Giuliani’s grassroots strategy of crisscrossing the state and connecting with voters is working.
A Dec. 2021 poll the Siena College Research Institute shows that Andrew Giuliani continues to have the highest name ID of the top-three Republican candidates, not only among Republican voters, but Independents and Democrats as well. Remarkably, 25% of even self-described liberals have a positive view of him. Giuliani’s favorability rating is currently 10 points ahead of Donald Trump’s, showing him as the only Republican candidate with the potential to outperform any remaining generic anti-Trump sentiment.
In fact, the last three Sienna polls give Giuliani a 10-point lead over the two other republican candidates for Governor; Rep. Zeldin and former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, with the Nov. 29-Dec. 3 poll giving Giuliani 30% favorable, to 20% for Zeldin and 16% for Astorino.
The other important piece of the Sienna polling for Governor in 2021 for Giuliani is that only 24% of NY voters ‘Don’t Know’-or have ‘No-Opinion’ of him. When compared to Zeldin, 63% don’t know, and Astorino 69% don’t know. Giuliani holds a 39% advantage over the hand-picked GOP candidate for Governor, Zeldin, in name recognition.
Usually, incumbents have the advantage in name recognition going into an election, or re-election. But if Governor Hochul were to face off against Andrew Giuliani in Nov. 2022, the challenger would have the edge.
Giuliani’s widespread name ID will make it harder for negative attacks to stick to him compared to other contenders. This is important because Republican candidates have historically struggled out of the box to earn name ID, including Astorino in his failed bid for Governor in 2014.
Giuliani also has a 48% favorable rating among NY republicans, compared to 31% for Zeldin and 26% for Astorino. Even Governor Kathy Hochul has no name ID among 30% of New Yorkers after serving three months as Governor.
Andrew Giuliani’s good poll number point to the fact that he is connecting with voters. One NY republican called Andrew Giuliani “a natural at connecting with voters. He is very genuine.”
And when he is campaigning across the state, the natural question of “how is your dad doing?” always comes up and Andrew answers it politely. His father, of course is Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City.
Sliwa added in his endorsement that the “three horsemen,” himself, Rudy G. and Andrew G. will campaign across the state together next year.
Other upstate republicans we spoke to were impressed by Andrew Giuliani’s ability to “get off his butt and actually campaign, and come to GOP events and meet us upstate.” Some media reports cite some New York politicos assuming that Giuliani wouldn’t campaign aggressively, and simply “run on his last name.” That hasn’t been the case.
The other piece to the puzzle of who will be the GOP nominee for NY Governor is the fact that despite receiving almost every County GOP Chair’s endorsement in New York State, Zeldin has been unable to close the deal with loyal, NY republicans.
Sliwa, as always, spoke the truth in his endorsement, criticizing the NY GOP leadership. “Stop this nonsense of trying to anoint Lee Zeldin the nominee and give Andrew a fair shake.”
Other endorsements for Andrew Giuliani have come from the former Mayor of Watertown in upstate NY, Jeff Graham, who said that he believed that many of the 37% of New Yorkers who voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 support Andrew Giuliani.
What issues does Andrew Giuliani talk about on the campaign trail? His plans to “Save NY” by opposing some of the far-left positions taken in the Empire State, like defunding the police, and critical race theory.
Giuliani also has that “I’ve got be me,” and “take it or leave it” attitude in this campaign that appeals to many independent minded voters. In October, Giuliani came to Westchester, to campaign with the Young Republicans in the Town of Eastchester, which remains an Astorino stronghold. “I will go anywhere,” said Andrew when asked about where his campaign will take him next, adding, “The 2.9 million registered Republicans believe that I am the right candidate. Let all New Yorkers have a voice; no more backroom Albany deals!”
Several Westchester republicans that we spoke to said that while they are sticking with Astorino for now, they are impressed with Giuliani’s campaign. “What do we have to lose? Zeldin is more of the same,” was the response from one elected Westchester republican.
Andrew was grateful for the endorsement from Sliwa, saying “It is a great honor to receive the support of a man who has sacrificed and bled for New York more than anyone over the past half-century. Curtis Sliwa connected with New Yorkers not because he’s a politician but because he genuinely cares about making New York the greatest state in the greatest country in the world. From cleaning up the subways with the Guardian Angels, to his run for mayor where he out-performed any Republican over the past 15 years, I am proud to have Curtis Sliwa in my corner. It will be entertaining to campaign with him whether people like it or not.”
While the Giuliani name is now associated with the Trump name, there is something different about Andrew Giuliani and the people he meets in New York. If he can secure the 37% of Trump voters from 2020, and reach out to another 12% of independent voters and democrats who remember what his father did for New York City, then….
