Gov. Kathy Hochul Thursday touted new state crime statistics that show violent crime decreasing statewide. It comes as crime in New York continues to be an issue in key races ahead of Election Day, and two years after a string of congressional losses in New York were largely tied to concerns about public safety.
Hochul reported that gun violence in New York state was at its lowest point since the state started keeping track in 2006. Shooting incidents with injuries were down 26% through September 2024 compared to the same nine-month period last year. Homicides are down 12%, and overall crime, 10%.
The announcement came with a political edge as we continue to see public safety and crime play a role on the campaign trail in New York. Hochul directly targeted ads that seek to portray her as soft on crime.
“You can watch that, but I’m here to tell you the truth. Here is the data, despite what you’re hearing from the fearmongers out there today. Murder and gun crime rates are down lower than they’ve been in 60 years,” she said.
Republicans slamming New York Democrats for their criminal justice policies have been a reoccurring theme since state lawmakers made changes to cash bail laws in 2019. Spikes in crime during the pandemic and aftermath of George Floyd’s murder also played a role in turning up the temperature. Hochul even took the opportunity to criticize members of her own party who previously called for defunding police departments.
“Not only did we say that’s not the right answer, we have now over the last three years funded police at historic levels,” she said.
More recently, members of the PBA of New York State have put up billboards criticizing the governor's record on crime.
It’s not just Republicans or law enforcement groups who have been frustrated. Some in her own party, notably former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have put at least some of the weight of 2022 congressional losses that contributed to handing the House of Representatives to Republicans on her shoulders. Hochul topped the ticket in an unexpectedly close race against Republican Lee Zeldin, who consistently criticized Hochul and New York Democrats’ handling of criminal justice issues.
Grant Reeher, political science professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, explained that in 2022, amid a largely disappointing year for the GOP, Republicans in New York were able to successfully buck the trend by tying congressional candidates to politics in Albany with Hochul's name on the ballot.
“Even though these were congressional races, and crime in the state is largely a matter for state government,” he said.
It's potentially good news for Hochul as she works to bolster candidates in tight races across the state to avoid a repeat of 2022. He argued that in a presidential year, it might not be so easy for Republicans to play that card.
“Congressional elections in a presidential election year are always a combination of national issues with local issues specific to the district, and I don’t anticipate seeing anything different from that,” he said.
Meanwhile, flanked by state troopers and getting support from their union gave the governor an opportunity to lean into that support Thursday, and insist that the criticism is political spin.
“When people talk about rampant crime and make all of these outlandish claims, New Yorkers see through that and they know better than that, they trust the word of law enforcement,” she said.