Governor Who-chul?
Long Island Democrats ignored Gov. Kathy Hochul on their websites even though the incumbent is sitting on top of the party ticket in the November elections.
US Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen don’t mention Hochul as a backer, an apparent snub to the top elected Democrat in the state as some insiders speculate local party members are afraid association with the governor could hurt their chances on the island.
Another congressional candidate and several other local state pols also don’t list Hochul, who is facing Long Island Republican Bruce Blakeman in the gubernatorial race.
“If candidates thought Hochul would win Long Island, they would stand next to her,” one local Democratic source told The Post, saying her appeasing socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani could turn off some suburban voters.
“Hochul embraced Mamdani. Mainstream Democrats out there don’t want nothing to do with Mamdani,” the source added.
Suozzi lists mostly unions and activist groups that have endorsed him, but doesn’t mention Hochul or any other elected official. Suozzi challenged Hochul in the Democratic primary for governor in 2022 and the two are not close.
Gillen, who’s running for a second term, lists “federal endorsements” from House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Queens Congressman Greg Meeks and Democratic Caucus Chairman Peter Aguilar. But Hochul’s name is nowhere to be found.
Chris Gallant, a Democrat running for Congress in Suffolk County’s 1st District, lists Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and upstate Rep. Pat Ryan as endorsers — but not Hochul.
Several state candidates also ignored the governor.
Kim Keiserman, who is running for state Assembly, lists endorsements from 20 current and former elected officials, including Comptroller Tom DiNapoli — who lives in Great Neck — as well as Suozzi, Rep. Grace Meng, Assemblyman Charles Lavine and Jay Jacobs, the Nassau County Dem leader and state party chairman.
Craig Herskowitz, another candidate for Assembly, touts endorsements from gun control group Mom Demands Action and Planned Parenthood.
Democratic candidate Joe Scianablo, who is running for Hempstead Town supervisor and Sean McCarthy for North Hempstead supervisor, did not list endorsements from elected officials.
Jay Jacobs, the state Democratic Party chairman and Nassau County Democratic leader, said Hochul is in a good place on Long Island as he brushed off the hide-and-seek nature of the party’s top elected leader.
“And Nassau Democrats HAVE endorsed the Governor. And Kathy Hochul will beat Bruce Blakeman IN Nassau County!,” Jacobs claimed.
“While I cannot reference specific polls, I can tell you that every poll that I have seen has Governor Hochul ahead in Nassau,” he said. “Also, her issues are favored in every poll. His positions are rejected in every poll. I don’t know how you win with that.”
In the 2022 gubernatorial race, former Rep. Lee Zeldin — who is also from the island — won Nassau by more than 10 percentage points and Suffolk by a whopping 17 percentage points.
Even some Democratic sources said while Hochul is in better position in Nassau and Suffolk counties than four years ago, it’s a stretch to say that she’d beat Blakeman on his own turf.
