Council member Bob Holden, a moderate Democrat, at a rally in support of the NYPD in Sunnyside in August 2020 (Photo: Michael Dorgan/Queens Post)
Sept. 14, 2022 By Christian Murray
Council member Bob Holden joined several Democrats on the steps of City Hall Monday to endorse the Republican candidate for governor–Lee Zeldin.
Holden, a moderate Democrat who represents District 30 in Queens, cited public safety as the main reason for the endorsement, saying that Zeldin was the candidate most likely to tackle crime. Holden was one of several Democrats at City Hall to reject Gov. Kathy Hochul, their party’s incumbent.
“There is only one person we believe can stop this [surge in crime]—and that is Lee Zeldin,” Holden said, who was alongside Zeldin and other Democrats.
The other Democrats included Dov Hikind, who represented southwest Brooklyn in the assembly from 1983 to 2018; Ruben Diaz Sr., the former Bronx councilmember and state senator; and Stephen Kaufman, a former assemblymember and council member from the Bronx.
?Many big Democratic Party endorsements of our campaign were announced today by our Democrats for Zeldin Coalition: @BobHoldenNYC, @HikindDov, Stephen Kaufman, @revrubendiaz, @Asianwave_org Founder Yiatin Chu, @donghui4nyc, @teacher_choice Founder Michael Kane, & @BrameMadeline pic.twitter.com/DOtGkYD9pe
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) September 13, 2022
Holden said that the city needs to combat crime and Zeldin is the candidate to do it.
“I am proud to endorse Lee Zeldin for governor, because he will restore law and order to our city and state, support our police, end bail reform and oppose congestion charging,” Holden told the Queens Post in a statement.
“We had high hopes for Kathy Hochul, but she turned out to be a continuation of Andrew Cuomo,” Holden added. “We never had a meaningful investigation of the nursing home cover up or other scandals on her watch. Lee Zeldin will right the ship.”
Holden has been an outspoken critic of the state’s bail reforms as well as the defund the police movement. He has also not wavered in his support of the NYPD.
In August 2020, at the height of the police protests, Holden was the only public official to speak on behalf of the NYPD at a rally in support of the 108 Precinct in Sunnyside.
“The silent majority is stepping up now, this is not going to hold…
“Let’s keep going and let’s get the city back on track,”
@BobHoldenNYC said at pro-@NYPD108Pct rally in #Sunnyside Saturday.@queenspost @sunnysidepost #Queens #protest pic.twitter.com/xzjSmbuD1T
— Michael Dorgan (@MDorganNYC) August 23, 2020
Holden has often been at odds with the progressive wing of the Democratic party. He was fierce critic of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, especially when the administration called for converting hotels in his district into homeless shelters.
Holden has joined several Republicans in the council to form what’s called the Common-Sense Caucus, which focuses on quality-of-life issues.
Zeldin, whose campaign is heavily focused on law and order, is trailing Hochul, although polls vary as to the margin.
Hochul holds a lead of 15 percentage points over Zeldin, according to an Emerson College-Pix11-The Hill survey released last Friday.
Meanwhile, a Trafalgar Group poll conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 found that Zeldin trailed Hochul by less than 5 percentage points.
Featured Events
19 Comments
Lee and company have no chance of winning and we all know that
Lee is moving up in the polls and Hohcul, the Cuomo clone, refuses to debate.
Hochul said she’d debate him in the Oct. 25 debate at Pace University in Manhattan, hosted by NY1 anchor Errol Louis & Susan Arbetter, but Zeldin is now rejecting to that debate. Afraid of a NYC audience, Lee?
Certainly not in NYC, but recent statewide polling shows Zeldin within striking distance. Turnout is essential for Hochul.
Such a shame that I have to consider voting Republican because the Democrats do nothing about crime. BOTH parties should have crime prevention at the top of their lists.
Even democrats don’t want to be mugged, raped, murdered or burglarized.
That’s how in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 5-1, Giuliani got elected.
Holden ignores the fact that Zeldin supported Trump’s plot to overturn the election, even after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. So much for law and order, pal.
You crossed a bridge too far and should have not endorsed anyone.
He’s not running for President , he’s running for NYS Governor and he’ll still have a Democratic Legislature …so abortion, Trump’s election denial, none of that will matter. If you don’t vote out Hochul then you’re basically saying all the corruption , lies and hamstringing the justice system to the detriment of your own tax paying residents doesn’t matter…that she can literally do anything she wants and you’d be fine with it. Just like a good little sheep.
Zeldin is running on upholding law and order, and yet on Jan. 6 he voted to ignore the results of the election even AFTER the lawless attack on the Capitol. He failed big time when it mattered, so yeah, that does matter.
Zeldin is a corrupt Trump sycophant and shouldn’t get anywhere near the NYS Governor’s office.
Zeldin is an election denier. This alone is disqualifying.
In a Republican Party full of MAGA idiots, Zeldin still finds a way to stand out.
https://www.leezeldinrecord.com/jan-6
I guess it takes one to one, eh, Bob? Should have sat this one out.
Lifetime registered Democrat but
I will be voting Republican for the foreseeable future.
The dems have let us down big time with
Crime and a ton of other stuff … so so sick of it here in NYC and beyond. It’s beyond ridiculous and there is no good
Excuse. The Thugs are destroying our quality of life and I’m really pissed off about it. Not just adults but children are getting murdered on a regular basis. A kid just got murdered after school in NYC. To all the crazy far left progressives I wish you a long miserable life .. you have earned it.
You didn’t know this, but crime has been a problem in NYC for a while!
Who is forcing you to live here?
Here almost 40 years so unless you
Are comparing that to the Big Bang then no, Not a recent transplant. I’m well aware of crime for more that a while, having been a victim several times. Assaulted on the street, car stolen, car broken into twice, two break ins. Several bikes stolen and that’s just for starters. I don’t really care for either candidate for Governor but if enough Democrats vote republican then I hope the Democratic leadership will get a
CLEAR message that we actually really care about crime amongst other issues
And maybe they will move back towards the
Center, policy wise. As a centrist democrat I don’t
Care for far right ideology but I also don’t care for all the extreme left politicians who have infested the Democratic party.
Lastly
No one is forcing me to live here. Do you
run away every time you have a difference of opinion with someone? I choose to be here and want a better future for myself and my family and not to let the criminals
Dictate what that future will look like
I’m glad some Dems are waking up to the disaster that Hochul, Gianaris, et al. are and the damage they are doing to regular people: you know: the guys who work and bring them coffee in the morning while they lecture us on how to live. Zeldin said he would fire ALVIN BRAGG one of the worst district attorneys in recent history. Zeldin has my vote.
Say goodbye to your rights and freedom. Abortion rights disappear. Health rights disappear. Pharmacy cost go up again. All the garbage we’re getting from repubs in DC will be living in NY. Thanks all
Excellent ! Hochul supports the criminal class rather than victims of crime and has a big heart for killing babies
She should be excommunicated
She also supports congestion pricing which will hurt working class people
Zeldin’s got my vote. if he doesnt win, crime will only keep getting worse. no way around it. killers need to be in jail, not released back on the streets.
Good! we need diversity of thought in Albany and New York will never have Republicans take over, but they can be useful for some things like ending bail reform or at least trying.