Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) Democrat opponent Matt Castelli finally admitted Friday he is endorsed by radical Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) after refusing to tout the governor’s endorsement on his campaign website.
On video exclusively obtained by Breitbart News, Castelli acknowledged Hochul’s endorsement when questioned if he was excited about her support.
“I’m not,” Castelli replied quickly. “I’m saying that I’m excited about all those folks who have endorsed our campaign.”
Castelli’s list of online endorsements omits any mention of Hochul, a notable political calculation.
The district is rated a R+8 by the Cook Political Report, and in 2018 when it was Cuomo/Hochul on the ballot, they lost to the Republicans by 26%.
When Castelli was pressed whether he would support and vote for Hochul in November, he confessed Hochul “is the Democratic nominee for governor” and “I’ll be voting for her.”
Obtained by Breitbart NewsBreitbart News requested comment from Castelli about why Hochul’s endorsement was not listed on his website and why he supports Hochul, even though she supports gun control and is unpopular in the district. Castelli refused to reply.
It is possible Castelli does not want voters to know he is supporting or voting for Hochul because of her radical record on the Second Amendment. Hochul has recently created gun free-zones in the state, one of them being Times Square. She has also passed many other gun control initiatives, such as banning the sale of AR-15s for people under the age of 21.
Stefanik’s senior adviser, Alex DeGrasse, told Breitbart News that Castelli is aligned with Hochul on gun control, releasing violent criminals from prison, and political grift.
“Far Left Downstate Democrat from Poughkeepsie Matt Castelli confirmed in Washington DC what Upstate New York and North Country voters have known for months that he is a Kathy Hochul Democrat,” DeGrasse said. “A Kathy Hochul Downstate Democrat from Poughkeepsie will NEVER represent Upstate New York and the North Country because their woke Far Left agenda directly contradicts NY-21’s values.”
“Thankfully, they never will be because Congresswoman Stefanik will easily crush this Far Left Downstate Democrat from Poughkeepsie in November,” he added.
Congressional race predictors indicate Stefanik’s district is a safe Republican seat come November. FiveThirtyEight describes the likelihood of Stefanik’s victory as 99 percent.
Stefanik is the third highest ranking Republican House member. In 2021, she displaced outgoing establishment Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as GOP Conference Chair, a powerful position within Republican leadership that centers on party fundraising.
In the 2022 cycle, Stefanik has backed 23 qualified women candidates through her E-PAC to retake the House majority. Republicans need to pick up five seats to win the House majority.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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