Logo

A simmering feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul boiled over Thursday with the conservative firebrand throwing rhetorical bombs on her record while fundraising for her Republican rival Rep. Lee Zeldin.

“The corrupt, far-left, pro-criminal Andrew Cuomo 2.0, aka Kathy Hochul – recently declared that Lee was no longer a New Yorker, because he disagrees with her radical policies. Hochul demanded that Lee get on a bus and move to Florida,” reads the Republican governor’s Thursday afternoon fundraising pitch ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

“Folks are fleeing a place where politicians like Hochul attack the wallets, safety, freedom, and kids’ education of the very people she is supposed to represent,” DeSantis adds in the message.

Deepening involvement in the New York governor’s race for DeSantis — who cancelled an in-person fundraising appearance with fellow Republican Zeldin last month due to an “unforeseen tragedy” involving a member of his security detail – follows several jabs from the Democratic incumbent in recent weeks.

“No surprise to see Zeldin riding the coattails of the GOP standard bearer for extremism and attacks on fundamental rights,” Hochul campaign spokesman Jerrel Harvey said about DeSantis’ efforts on their foe’s behalf.

Recent history suggests DeSantis has had little trouble buying real estate in the mind of Democrat Hochul, who has taken jabs at him through the year.


  Republican gubernatorial candidate and Rep. Lee Zeldin holds up The Post’s paper as he speaks to the press on September 6. Robert Miller Republican gubernatorial candidate and Rep. Lee Zeldin holds up The Post’s paper as he speaks to the press on September 6. Robert Miller

She blasted him in April for smiling while signing into law a 15-week abortion ban.

In recent weeks, she dubbed DeSantis as “overrated” while speaking off the cuff at an Aug. 10 event commemorating the Holocaust.

“Trump and Zeldin and Molinaro – just jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong. OK? Get out of town. Because you don’t represent our values,” Hochul said Aug. 22 after Democrat Pat Ryan beat Republican Marc Molinaro in a special congressional election.

Hochul also seems to be weighing on the mind of DeSantis, who took a shot at her on Aug. 30 by calling her “ridiculous.”

“You have the governor of New York saying all Republicans need to get on a bus and leave the state and come to Florida,” he told reporters at an unrelated press conference.

Such comments have played into Zeldin’s efforts to cast Hochul as an intolerant and out-of-touch leader amid touchy political challenges like rising crime and inflation.

Using DeSantis to attack Hochul could become a double-edged sword for Zeldin as her campaign assails him as too extreme on issues like abortion, gun rights and his votes against certifying the 2020 election results, experts have said.

Republican candidates have to strike a careful balance in New York considering how registered Democrats outnumber their GOP counterparts by roughly two-to-one.


  Hochul recently called DeSantis “overrated.” Matthew McDermott Hochul recently called DeSantis “overrated.” Matthew McDermott

“You’re walking a tightrope in a lot of ways and you have to be smart about it,” political consultant Tom Doherty, who previously worked for Republican New York Gov. George Pataki, told The Post.

But popular rightwing figures like DeSantis and ex-President Donald Trump have a proven record of helping the GOP standard-bearer close a big fundraising gap against Hochul, who reported having $11.7 million compared to $1.57 million for Zeldin in mid-July.

“Cozying up to dangerous extremist like DeSantis won’t save Zeldin’s campaign,” Harvey told The Post.

Trump helped Zeldin raise $1.5 million on Sunday while the fundraiser advertised with DeSantis before his unexpected cancellation brought in $1 million more, according to the Zeldin campaign.

“Despite Hochul’s demands, Lee is not going anywhere. He’s standing his ground to fight for New York, FIRE Kathy Hochul, and Save New York before it’s gone for good!” DeSantis said in the new fundraising email.

“Will you join me today in supporting Lee’s rescue mission? He’s going to need all of us to make this historic victory possible!” he added.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy