I half-jokingly call my home state the "People's Republic of New York" because of the voters' acquiescence to one-party dominance as a foregone conclusion. There are plenty of reasons for that — some I've discussed before — but suffice it to say that these days, Democrats here could run a ham sandwich for high office, and it would still be favored to win.
Once upon a time in 2014, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was about as well known to voters as that proverbial ham sandwich. When disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo chose her as his running mate for lieutenant governor, The New York Times even spelled out her name phonetically in its coverage.
But today, everyone knows Hochul. And lately, she seems to be taking my state moniker literally — consolidating power and sidelining rivals like a strongman before assuming supreme control.
Take, for example, her decision to strip authority from New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The move came suspiciously soon after federal prosecutors announced they would discontinue their investigation into Adams' alleged conspiracy in accepting funds from foreign nationals.
Rather than letting him breathe a sigh of relief, Hochul swooped in with what she called "guardrails" on his power. While she stopped short of outright ousting him — something she is legally permitted to do — she made it abundantly clear who's boss.
Of course, Hochul insists she's leaving Adams' fate to the voters. How magnanimous, right?
Surely, the public humiliation of Adams right before an election won't influence voters in the slightest. And it's pure coincidence that after years of Adams outflanking Hochul on the migrant crisis, she's now making sure he looks like the weaker political force going forward.
Make no mistake: Hochul saw an opportunity to neuter a political rival, and she took it.
Now, she's doing the same to her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, who had the audacity to break from her politically. Delgado bucked Hochul on multiple issues last year: calling for Joe Biden to step aside from his reelection bid while she was still backing him and urging Adams to resign while she was weighing his fate.
But the real last straw? Delgado announced he wouldn't run as Hochul's lieutenant governor in 2026, setting up a potential primary challenge.
That's when Hochul went into full purge mode.
First, she kicked Delgado's office off her floor in the State Capitol. Then, she took away his other offices in New York City and across the state.
She even confiscated his state-issued devices and reassigned his staff. And, of course, she wished him well in his "future endeavors."
If Hochul could have fired Delgado, she would have. Instead, she's done the next best thing: stripping him of the visibility and influence he would need to be a serious statewide contender.
Hochul has shown zero hesitation in weaponizing the powers of her office to eliminate perceived political threats. And yet where is the outrage from New York Democrats?
The same crowd would be apoplectic if a certain occupant of the White House had even contemplated 1% of what Hochul just did? Why is no one clutching their pearls and hysterically calling Hochul a "threat to democracy?"
Meanwhile, Hochul is busy burnishing her image as the latest righteous anti-Donald Trump warrior — fighting his administration's lawful moves to strike down New York's unconstitutional "Green Light" laws protecting illegal immigrants and canceling her congestion pricing cash grab.
The hypocrisy is striking, but unsurprising.
It goes to show you that even in politics, a ham sandwich left unchecked will eventually turn your stomach.
Gene Berardelli is a street-smart New York-based trial attorney who has developed a solid reputation as both an election attorney successfully representing conservative candidates, and as an award-winning content creator and author of "Schnooks, Crooks, Liars and Scoundrels: A Field Guide To Identifying Political Buffoons." — Click Here Now.
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