NBC Analyst Tells Morning Joe Dems Can’t Use Stats to Deny Crime Problem When Voters Are ‘Afraid to Go On Subway Platforms’

An NBC News political analyst said on Morning Joe that Democrats like Gov. Kathy Hochul can’t convince voters crime is not an issue when they’re afraid to go on a subway platform.

Jonathan Lemire talked about Democratic prospects next week in several big races, including Florida’s gubernatorial election, before he asked Susan Del Percio about the “surprisingly close” race between Gov. Hochul and Republican challenger Lee Zeldin.

“I want to talk to you about a different state, a state you know really well: New York state,” he said. “We have a surprisingly close governor’s race here. The incumbent, Kathy Hochul, has called in the heavy hitters for reinforcement. President Biden was here last week. White House considering adding another stop in the coming days. The Vice President’s been here.”

“Lee Zeldin has made this race about crime and crime and crime,” he said. “What’s your assessment?”

Del Percio said that, while the Democrat will probably win, it’s way closer than it should be, and that part of the reason is Hochul failing to connect with voters on the things they are actually concerned about.

“I think at the end of the day, Hochul will pull it out,” the MSNBC and NBC News political analyst and Republican strategist said. “But let’s be clear, this should be a 20-point race for Hochul.”

The fact that Lee Zeldin is doing so well, I think is reflective of two things. One, his messaging on crime and more importantly, he’s taking it to New York City, where he needs to, if he was to pull it off, around 35% of the vote. He’s staying in New York City and talking to voters about crime, specifically subway crime.

You can’t tell people that it’s safer based on stats when they’re afraid to go on those subway platforms. And even as a New Yorker myself, I have concerns about being on subway platforms.

But it’s crime and it is the economy. What’s interesting also is when you look at the suburbs like Long Island, it’s quite possible that Republicans sweep four out of the four congressional seats on Long Island, which are currently divided, two and two. And that is a big reason why Kathy Hochul and I think that’s part of the national trends in the suburbs, is doing so poorly because she is not resonating with voters.

She’s not giving them a reason to go out there. She’s not, I shouldn’t say she’s, she’s not running for reelection, she’s running for election. And she has yet to connect and make people feel comfortable with her.

Watch the clip above, via MSNBC.