Democrat strategists are fearing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s handling of the migrant crisis will hurt the party’s 2024 chances, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in October due to the influx of migrants arriving in buses from the Southern border sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott has bused more than 30,000 migrants to sanctuary cities and states across the country, according to the governor.
Hochul has found herself in a bind, battling Democrat’s calls for opening up more parts of the state to the migrants, as well as Republicans taking advantage of the situation as an election talking point, The NYT reported. (RELATED: ‘Aha! There You Have It’: Laura Ingraham Rips NYC Mayor, Progressives For ‘Borders Are … Immoral’ Hypocrisy)
“The reality is that when you’re governor, it’s going to be on you, whether you choose to engage or not,” Democratic political consultant Doug Forand said, according to The NYT. “It’s not surprising she doesn’t want to wander into this particular minefield, because it’s really ugly, but in the absence of some form of action, she’s going to have to take those stronger positions soon.”
New York Democrats created this crisis. https://t.co/Zho35kE0yF
— NRCC (@NRCC) August 18, 2023
Democrats who are looking to New York as their hope to wrest control from Republicans in the House in 2024 are concerned about Hochul’s handling of the disaster.
“There is no question in my mind that the politics of this is a disaster to Democrats,” Howard Wolfson, a former deputy mayor and political adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said. “This issue alone has the potential to cost Democrats the House, because it is such a huge issue in New York City and the coverage of it is clearly heard and seen by voters in all of these swing districts in the suburbs.”
Wolfson described the issue as a “ticking time bomb.”
Hochul has accused New York City mayor Eric Adams of a lack of communication on the crisis. Hochul said Adams had been busing migrants to suburbs with little to no notice, and he had been refusing some state assistance, per Politico.
Adams, on the other hand, has repeatedly requested more assistance from the state government, saying the crisis has strained the city’s resources.
“New York City has been left to pick up the pieces of a broken immigration system — one that is projected to cost our city $12 billion over the course of three fiscal years without policy changes and further support from the state and federal governments. Our compassion may be limitless, but our resources are not,” Adams said during a presser.
Hochul has called for a “federal solution” to the migrant crisis, saying she has raised the issue with the White House.