Vote as if it were 1994.
George Pataki, New York’s last Republican governor, says Bruce Blakeman still has time to pull off the kind of upset that propelled him to the state’s highest office three decades ago.
Speaking Sunday, Pataki reminded voters that polls do not determine elections—the only result that matters comes from ballots cast on Election Day.
In 1994, Pataki defeated three-term Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo despite trailing in each of the six final polls conducted before the election. Four of those surveys showed Cuomo leading by double digits.
“When I was running the first time for governor in 1994, the Sunday before the election, the New York Daily News straw poll came out,” Pataki said on 77 WABC radio’s “Cats Roundtable” program. “It had never been wrong, and it showed me losing by 17 points to Cuomo.”
“I was down 17 points with two days to go, according to a poll that had never been wrong. And I ended up winning by four. They were off by 21 points,” he said.
“If anybody knows to doubt the polls, it’s me, because I’ve seen how inaccurate they can be,” Pataki told host John Catsimatidis.
That supposedly reliable poll had Cuomo ahead by 14 points.
Blakeman has also challenged independent surveys from Siena, Quinnipiac and Marist colleges that show Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul holding double-digit leads over him.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Overwatch Eskay Before And After Photos: Is She Trans?
New York’s political landscape, however, has changed significantly since 1994. The state now has more registered Democrats, fewer voters in traditionally conservative upstate regions and a larger population concentrated in heavily Democratic New York City.
Still, Pataki said Hochul’s 2022 victory over Republican Lee Zeldin offers reason for Republicans and other dissatisfied voters to remain hopeful. Hochul won that race by only six points, even as Democrats held a roughly 2½-to-1 advantage in party enrollment.
Pataki argued that voters across the political spectrum have a strong reason to support Blakeman, whom he praised for running an aggressive campaign focused on cutting taxes and reducing utility costs.
If Hochul is re-elected, Pataki warned, Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani could gain significant influence over state government in Albany.
“If we keep things the way they are, Mamdani—mark my words—is basically going to be telling the Albany politicians what to do,” Pataki said. “And that will mean higher taxes and other policies that hurt New York.”
“He’s already saying we need to raise taxes more and spend more on programs that too often waste money and leave people dependent,” Pataki added.
Pataki also said he worries that New York Republicans frustrated with the status quo in Washington may decide not to vote.
That, he said, would be a serious mistake.
“This isn’t about Washington. This is about Albany, and we need change in Albany,” Pataki said.
