Amid her reelection bid, Hochul aims at retaking Congress – Spectrum News

Amid her reelection bid, Hochul aims at retaking Congress  Spectrum News

Gov. Kathy Hochul wants New Yorkers to know that, amid her reelection bid, she’s playing a starring role in Democrats’ attempt at shifting Washington’s balance of power this November. “As the leader of the party, I have been invested heavily,” Hochul told NY1 in an exclusive interview Friday in Brooklyn. Although raising millions of dollars for fellow Democrats running in competitive House races across the Empire State is not new for Hochul, it’s another go for her at being instrumental in shaping which party controls Congress. “Not just two years ago, when we won five out of seven battleground races, but this year, we’re gonna be the ones to send Hakeem Jeffries to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

That’s going to be phenomenal,” she said. She was blamed by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her 2022 down-ballot performance when then GOP-gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin came within six points of her first election to a full term. Hochul says New Yorkers should expect “unexpected” Democratic wins in GOP strongholds. “Unexpectedly, originally, a lot of people didn’t think we could win the North Country. I believe we can win the seat Elise Stefanik held for years,” she said of the open seat contest for New York’s 21st congressional district. She cited President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies on