Lee Zeldin blasts Kathy Hochul for Inflation Reduction Act support

Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Suffolk) chided Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for flubbing facts over his opposition to the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the US House on Friday.

“CORRECTION “Governor”: I just voted NO because the bill sucks,” Zeldin replied to Hochul on Twitter.

“Being that it raises taxes, adds 87,000 new IRS agents, & spends hundreds of billions of dollars our country doesn’t have on far-left policies our country can’t afford, I’m not surprised you’d blindly endorse it,” the GOP standard bearer added via Twitter on Friday evening in the latest clash between the two candidates ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

The social media swipe at the Democratic incumbent followed a Twitter poke by Hochul – a self-proclaimed “Biden Democrat” – for opposing the omnibus bill Hochul’s party hopes might boost its chances ahead of the crucial midterm elections.

“BREAKING: Lee Zeldin just voted against the Inflation Reduction Act — opposing thousands of new jobs, the future of clean energy, and lower prescription drug costs.bWorking families deserve better. As your governor, I’ll keep fighting to get things done for New Yorkers,” Hochul tweeted earlier.

Zeldin and Hochul are locked in what might be a tightening race to lead the Empire State, with a poll released Thursday suggesting Zeldin is within single digits in his bid to become the first Republican elected to statewide office in two decades.

A Siena Poll released last month found Hochul leading by 14 points among registered voters, with Zeldin ahead by three points among voters upstate and in the New York City suburbs.

Zeldin has bashed Hochul incessantly on the campaign trail over her support of bail reform, which he blames for fueling an ongoing crime wave in New York City that includes a 36% surge in major crimes over the last year.

Historically high inflation highlights how Hochul ought to reduce taxes, according to Zeldin, rather than support federal increases.

But the Democratic candidates has big advantages in her campaign for a full term after replacing disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year amid multiple scandals.

Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than two-to-one statewide and Hochul has raised more than $34 million for her campaign, with recent campaign finance filings showing her with roughly seven times more cash on hand than Zeldin.

Hochul and political allies have argued that Zeldin, a conservative congressman from Long Island, is too extreme for New York, especially when it comes to his positions on abortions, gun rights and vote against certifying the 2020 presidential election results from certain states.