In political campaigns there's a thing called an opposition ad. Usually you pay for it. In New York this year, Kathy Hochul is delivering it to her opponent for free, in person, with a socialist mayor standing next to her.
The New York Post reports that Republican Bruce Blakeman says Gov. Hochul campaigning with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a "big boost" for his campaign. You can practically hear Blakeman's staff popping champagne and asking if Mamdani is available on weekends, too.
Tunnel Tucker covered a lot of strange alliances in the sewer. A raccoon and a pigeon once teamed up on a pizza crust. But even they knew to split up before the exterminator came. Hochul looked at the polls, looked at the voters outside the five boroughs, and decided what upstate New York really needed was a closer look at the guy who wants city-run grocery stores.
Picture the stump speech in Buffalo. Hochul: "I'm here to fight for working families." Mamdani: "And I'm here to explain that your snowplow should be publicly owned, rent-free, and free of fossil fuels." Crowd in Buffalo: quietly checking whether Pennsylvania has openings.
To be fair to the governor, it's a bold strategy. Most incumbents try to win over the middle. Hochul is testing whether the middle can be won by sprinting as fast as possible in the other direction. Science moves forward.
And the mayor is a busy man. He's been fighting horse carriages, fighting landlords, fighting the concept of math in the city budget. Now he's squeezing in a statewide tour, presumably on a free bus, which he'll find out isn't free when the bill hits Albany.
Meanwhile Blakeman doesn't have to do a thing. Every time the two of them share a stage, his campaign just clips it and adds the caption: "You saw it. We didn't have to say it." That's the most efficient ad buy in New York history, and it costs less than a bagel.
Tucker's advice to the Hochul team: a joint appearance with Mamdani is like adding hot sauce to cereal. Some people in Brooklyn will love it. Everyone else will quietly push the bowl away and order from the other guy.
New York voters will decide in November. Until then, the Republican fruit basket is in the mail. Card reads: "Thanks for the help. Same time next week?"
The Demorat is satire. This article is a comedy roast based on real news reports; quotes and scenarios beyond the cited facts are invented for laughs.
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