A female protestor attending a rally for Gov. Kathy Hochul over the weekend in Manhattan was choked by a man and grabbed by a New York City councilwoman, according to footage of the altercation.
In the footage captured by Viral News NY, Angelica Torres, a female supporter of Republican New York gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin, appears to be choked by a man in attendance at the Hochul rally when she showed up to the event with an anti-Hochul sign.
Additionally, councilwoman Crystal Hudson, a Democrat representing Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, appears to have grabbed Torres.
On Saturday a NYC Councilmember Crystal Hudson (D) held a woman's arm while another man choked her because the woman was carrying a sign with a political message Hudson didn't approve of. The silence from the NY media & Democrats about this thuggish behavior has been deafening. https://t.co/uHHjW89jHD
— Izengabe (@Izengabe_) November 7, 2022
The footage does not seem to show how the fight began, as it appears to start in the middle of the altercation. However, the female had a sign saying “Vote Then Out,” with a picture of Hochul featured a lot with other Democrats.
“A woman…a very large, heavyset woman…might have been a man…came and took my sign,” Torres explained.
“As I was trying to retrieve my sign, there was another man that came and choked me, and there were two other people there who were coming in and preventing me from trying to get my sign,” Torres added.
Law enforcement was reportedly present at the event, but no arrests were made. Breitbart News cannot confirm what happened leading up to this incident.
Zeldin responded to the altercation on Twitter, saying, “I have always condemned political violence of any kind, and Kathy Hochul must do the same.”
“Her continued silence on her supporter choking out a woman simply exercising her First Amendment rights makes her complicit in this attack,” he added.
I have always condemned political violence of any kind, and Kathy Hochul must do the same. Her continued silence on her supporter choking out a woman simply exercising her First Amendment rights makes her complicit in this attack. pic.twitter.com/mDlPFkPdMs
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) November 7, 2022
Hochul, who is running for a full term as governor, and Zeldin are locked in a heated election battle. Over the last month leading up to the election, polls have shown the Republican inching closer and closer to Hochul, eating away at her lead.
In fact, a recent Trafalgar Group poll from October 27 to 31 showed Zeldin taking a slight lead in the race, 48.4 percent to 47.6 percent.
After the Trafalgar poll showed Zeldin taking the lead, it was reported that New York Democrat officials and strategists were telling CNN to brace for deep losses in the Empire State as Election Day was closing in.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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