By Richard Lee

For the first time since 2015, both New York baseball teams are in the post-season.

Over the years, the excitement generated by successful sports teams such as this year’s Met and Yankee squads also creates opportunities for political candidates. Take a look at how John Lindsay capitalized on the Miracle Mets for his 1969 re-election bid.

Politicians have a long history of working their way into popular athletic events, but they sometimes encounter a surprise or two when they realize they are not the most important person in the room. Here is what happened when then New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio tried to hang out with the 7 Line Army at CitiField

With both the Mets and Yankees in the 2022 post-season, the best place for New York gubernatorial candidates Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin to boost their campaigns may not be at the ballpark.

Politicians are less popular than ever, and rowdy baseball fans are likely to greet anyone holding office — or running for office — with a healthy chorus of boos. Hochul didn’t exactly receive a warm welcome when she showed up for a New York Rangers hockey game in March.

Instead of risking a similar fiasco, the Hochul and Zeldin campaigns can best take advantage of the Mets and Yankees success by upping their television advertising while a large audience — comprised mostly of New Yorkers — tunes in.

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. Click here to read more of Lee’s On the Road to Albany columns, and follow the Jandoli Institute on Twitter and Facebook.

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