Race for New York governor: Politics take center stage at Columbus Day Parade
NEW YORK (WABC) -- In between the sounds of marching bands and Frank Sinatra on Monday, politics were front and center at the Columbus Day Parade as we march toward Election Day.
Republican candidate for governor Lee Zeldin has a renewed focus on curbing crime after a scary situation outside his house on Long Island this weekend.
The shooting outside his Suffolk County home on Sunday played right into his campaign's central theme.
"Last night the girls wanted to sleep with us," Zeldin said. "I didn't think that the next time I'd be standing in front of a crime scene, it would be crime scene tape in front of my own house. This couldn't possibly hit any more closer to home."
Police say bullets struck his house while his daughters were home.
Investigators say there is no connection between the shooting and the Republican nominee for New York governor.
Two teenage boys were injured in the drive-by shooting and then tried to hide in Zeldin's yard.
But the shooting gave him a fresh opening to hammer home his message.
"Cashless bail should be repealed, judges should have discretion away dangerousness," Zeldin said. "The less is more act was a bad idea in passing and signing."
"I'm so pleased no one was injured, that the family is safe," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "We sent our message right away, if they need any assistance from the state police in the investigation, and it's a reminder we all have to work together to get guns off the streets."
Hochul meanwhile flipped the issue back into her hands.
"Public safety is a top priority," Hochul said. "We're not running away from those issues. We're leaning hard into them because we have a real record of accomplishment."
Zeldin of course is staying on message, pounding the governor on the issue of crime.
The governor for her part is not engaging. Instead she blasted Zeldin on the airwaves, where she has a massive campaign fundraising advantage.
The Hochul campaign is highlighting Zeldin's anti-abortion rights position and ties to former President Donald Trump.
According to the latest records, Hochul has spent more than $1.5 million a week since Labor Day, blanketing TV and digital with ads.
She enters the final stretch with almost $11 million in cash -- two and half times more than Zeldin.
But Zeldin has raised enough to remain more competitive than other recent republican nominees.
His most difficult hurdle at the moment is that there are twice as many registered democrats than republicans in the state.
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