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Hochul faces revolt from unlikely New Yorkers as Democrats deliver scathing verdict on their party

Hochul faces revolt from unlikely New Yorkers as Democrats deliver scathing verdict on their party

BRONX, N.Y. – Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman is courting disaffected Democrats as he seeks to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul, betting that frustration over affordability, crime and the party’s leftward shift could help him make inroads with traditionally Democratic voters. “They’re not Democrats. They’re socialists and communists,” former Democratic Bronx Assemblyman Stephen Kaufman told Fox News Digital. “They’re just not Democrats, they’re not moderates.” Kaufman delivered the blistering criticism while rallying alongside Blakeman at the Crosstown Diner in the Bronx, where several voters expressed similar frustrations with Democratic leadership and said they were backing the Republican candidate. “Every time I go out and meet the people, another Democrat comes up to me and says, ‘Bruce, I’m a lifelong Democrat. I’ve never voted Republican in my life. We’re voting for you,’” Blakeman told Fox News Digital. NY SOCIALIST SURGE COULD PUSH DEM VOTERS TO DEFECT, GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE PREDICTS Kaufman accused the Democratic Socialists of America of gaining increasing influence over the party, warning that Democrats are “rapidly becoming a house of hatred” that no longer welcomes moderate voices. Several Bronx voters who spoke with Fox News Digital echoed those concerns, pointing to rising costs, public safety and the Democratic Party’s increasingly progressive direction as reasons they feel politically abandoned. “It’s not your Democratic Party anymore. It’s not your grandfather’s Democratic Party. It’s become the Democratic Socialist, a.k.a. Communist Party,” Lisa, a resident of the Bronx’s Throggs Neck neighborhood, said. “The socialists here literally said we’re land-hoarding if we only have a single-family home or a four-family home and that we were a problem… Kathy was all in support and quiet about it. She didn’t defend the homeowners,” another man from the Bronx added. BRUCE BLAKEMAN HAMMERS DEM GOV HOCHUL, MAMDANI OVER SUBWAY SAFETY DURING NYC CAMPAIGN RIDE One registered Democrat said the party’s failure to address the needs of working families was driving his political decisions. “I’m a registered Democrat. Ask me if I vote that way,” he said. “I vote to what affects me, my community, the people I live with. I vote who’s going to help the middle class.” SHOCK POLL: POWERFUL BLUE STATE GOV’S LEAD SHRINKS TO SINGLE DIGITS WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION Blakeman argued that growing frustration with Hochul’s leadership has created an opening for Republicans in a state long dominated by Democrats. “Kathy Hochul has raised taxes. She’s raised utility rates 48 times. Programs like cashless bail make it easier for criminals to operate in our neighborhoods. So now I have the evidences. I have her report card and it’s straight F’s,” said Blakeman. Kaufman said that Hochul has embraced and catered towards the further left of her party. THE IRAN WAR DIDN’T MAKE YOUR HEATING BILL THIS HIGH. BLUE-STATE ENERGY POLICY DID “The electricity rates have skyrocketed. She’s had 42 increases over time. She wouldn’t permit building of gas lines. She’s closed utility plants. All she does is move harder and harder to the left. Which don’t represent people in this neighborhood,” he said. “Every time she has a problem, she goes crying to the hard left. She’s totally controlled by them,” Kaufman added. Blakeman, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital he would take the opposite approach, pledging to cut taxes and utility bills while making communities safer. “I will cut taxes. I will cut utility bills. And I will make for safer communities just like I did in my own county as county executive,” Blakeman said. Blakeman pointed to his record as Nassau County executive, saying he has “not raised taxes a penny in five years” and has instead cut taxes by $150 million. “I’ll take my record, compare it to hers,” he said, arguing he would “cut their taxes, cut the utility bills and make safer communities.” The socialist wing of the Democratic Party has moved from the margins to positions of real political power, particularly in New York, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani became mayor and DSA-backed candidates went on to topple Democratic incumbents in congressional primaries. The movement has also scored victories beyond New York, with DSA-backed Melat Kiros defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado and self-described democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George capturing the Democratic mayoral nomination in Washington, D.C. Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.

Socialism’s growing appeal meets an awkward reality check on college campus

Socialism’s growing appeal meets an awkward reality check on college campus

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Socialism is gaining popularity among young Americans, but Fox News Digital found strikingly different understandings of the ideology among college students, some of whom acknowledged that their generation may not fully grasp what they’re embracing. A recent Fox News poll found that 48% of Americans ages 18 to 34 viewed socialism favorably, compared with 32% of Americans overall. When Fox News Digital asked more than a dozen University of Michigan students to define socialism, their answers ranged from government-funded safety nets and affordable health care to collective ownership of industry. “If the definition was more widely known, people would support it less honestly,” one student, Ahnika, told Fox News Digital. Other students acknowledged the confusion, while at least a dozen declined to be interviewed on camera because they said they did not know enough about socialism to give an informed answer. THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE. YOUNG AMERICANS ARE FALLING IN LOVE … WITH SOCIALISM “Absolutely. I feel like many people don’t really understand, I feel, the full grasp or scope of what socialism really means,” a student named Owen told Fox News Digital. “I think they kind of have a more idealistic image of it.” The divide over what socialism actually means comes as the ideology becomes an increasingly prominent issue in American politics, including Michigan’s closely watched Senate contest, where Republicans have sought to tie Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed to socialism – despite his rejection of the label. Socialism? It’s a safety net Some of the students interviewed used the word socialism as a way to describe a government that spends more money on subsidizing healthcare, housing or other basic necessities. “It’s an economic system in which the resources of the government … are allocated into public services such as housing, affordable housing, food like food banks, education, things like that,” James, one student, told Fox News Digital. “Socialism to me is a concept in politics where everybody gets a little bit of everything. Everybody benefits and everybody is really taken care of. Kind of that social net that you see in other types of politics,” Kayla, another student, said. “It’s a political system where less social goods are delivered by the market than in capitalism,” said her fellow student, Sam. Republicans and centrist Democrats have both raised concerns about the rising tide of socialism, while young people turn to it as a solution to the cost of living. “Does the socialism thing scare me? Yes. Is it the wrong solution? Yes,” Vice President JD Vance said in a July interview. “But one thing I try to persuade my fellow Republicans of is socialism is the alternative if we don’t have a pathway to give people a sense that the system is not rigged and that the American dream is attainable.” While the precise definition of socialism is debated by economists and philosophers, the ideology generally calls for replacing private ownership of major productive assets with some form of public, collective or worker ownership, though socialists differ sharply over whether that control should be exercised through the government, workers themselves or other institutions. Modern socialism emerged as a major political and economic movement in 19th-century Europe, fueled by concerns over wealth inequality, industrial working conditions and the concentration of economic power in private hands. A fair number of the students who spoke with Fox News Digital had understandings of socialism more in line with this traditional definition. EL-SAYED REVEALS HE WOULD GO ‘STEP FURTHER’ THAN SANDERS ON SOCIALIST PLAN FOR MAJOR US INDUSTRY Or is it government control? “It’s an economic system where certain aspects [of the economy] are controlled by the government such as health care, possibly housing, agriculture, general necessities,” Owen said. “It’s distinct from communism in that the government does not have free rein over every aspect of the market, but it’s not the same as capitalism where the free market determines everything.” How far government control should extend has long divided socialists. Some advocate government ownership of nearly all major industries, while others favor worker-owned businesses amid a mix of public and private enterprise. “I guess I would define it as an economic system where resources are shared in a more, in a somewhat equitable sense, and there’s some level of, you know, public control of that,” Zack, also a student at the university, told Fox News Digital. “It’s not really any more specific than that, socialism is a broad term, you know?” While some young Americans associate socialism with government control of private businesses, an idea that has long faced resistance in American politics, the ideology has gained support among younger voters, even as they differ over what it would mean in practice. The Democratic Socialists of America, which advocates replacing capitalism with a more collectively controlled economy, has seen its ranks swell with members and notched a series of electoral victories during the second Trump administration. “I’d say I define socialism by the government taking collective ownership of companies’ production and distribution of goods,” student Ahnika told Fox News Digital. “As far as I’m aware, it’s about like workers and members of society owning the product … as opposed to capitalism where you make the product, if you work on an assembly line, the product goes to your manager or whoever runs the factory and then they make most of the profit off of your work,” Noah, also a student, told Fox News Digital. Maybe it’s Canada? Others defined socialism in relation to countries or politicians. “Mostly I think of Canada when I think of socialism,” Samantha, another student, told Fox News Digital. Elyse, her peer, said that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani comes to mind when thinking of a definition for socialism. LIBERAL-CITY RESIDENT HESITATES WHEN PRESSED ON BELIEFS: ‘I HADN’T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT SOCIALISM THAT WAY’ The University of Michigan’s student body isn’t alone in its division over the definition of socialism. Gallup found in 2018 that 23% of Americans thought the word meant “equality,