By Richard Lee
Kathy Hochul’s comment that her Republican rival Lee Zeldin is not a New Yorker and should move to Florida brought back memories of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 remarks about “deplorables.”
In both cases, Republicans fired back and attempted to use the characterizations to their advantage.
In 2016, Republicans took the deplorable moniker as a badge of honor.
This year, Zeldin responded by traveling to Orange County and posting a video on Twitter with the mayor Florida, New York. It was a clever bit of campaigning, and kudos to his staff for pulling it off.
The move also underscores Zeldin’s approach to the race — to pounce on Hochul’s record, her policies and her statement at every opportunity.
It’s a strategy that is more reactive than proactive, but it’s an approach that sometimes works in political campaigns.
Will it work for Zeldin? We’ll find out when the votes are counted in November.
Richard Lee, executive director of the Jandoli Institute, covered politics and government as a reporter and later served as Deputy Director of Communication for two New Jersey governors. To read more of Lee’s ‘”On the Road to Albany” columns, follow the Jandoli Institute on Twitter and Facebook.
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