Zeldin vows to fire liberal Manhattan DA on 'day one,' rips Hochul's cashless bail support: 'Save this state'

close

Video

Rep. Zeldin vows to fire Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg as 'first act' if he becomes New York's next governor

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., joined 'Fox News Sunday' to discuss the relationship between the surge in violence and the border crisis and his candidacy to become New York's next governor.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for governor in New York, vowed on Sunday to fire liberal Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on his first day in office and reiterated criticism of his opponent, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, for standing by the state’s controversial bail reform law. 

"Democrats – just like Republicans and Independents – are fed up with not feeling safe on our streets," Zeldin said during an appearance on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures." 

"My first act on my first day in office is telling the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that he’s going to be fired," he continued. "Here in New York, we’ve seen cashless bail as a failure. It’s caused crime to increase. It needs to be repealed. Judges need discretion to weigh dangerousness. It is pro-criminal laws and DA’s refusing to their jobs, judges refusing to do theirs in some other cases and people less safe as a result." 

Overall crime in New York is up by nearly 35% from a year ago. 

NEW YORK CITY DEM ENDORSES REPUBLICAN LEE ZELDIN INSTEAD OF GOV. KATHY HOCHUL 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul during a New York State Financial Control Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. 

Zeldin, who’s running on a tough-on-crime platform, criticized Hochul for refusing to accept his debate requests even though absentee ballots will soon be mailed out.  

"She’s earning her nickname as Scaredy Kat, she’s not yet accepted any of these requests," Zeldin told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo. "The contempt that she has for this process, for voters – voters certainly should not be rewarding her with a full four-year term. She wants to sit in this seat, but if you don’t agree with her – she actually declared that I was no longer a New Yorker because I was challenging her. She said I should get on a bus and go to Florida."

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announces charges against Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, during a press conference in New York on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022.  (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to send buses of migrants to New York City and other sanctuary destinations, Zeldin argued that the federal government needs to finish the construction of the border wall, stop catch and release, enforce the "Remain in Mexico" policy and support border patrol agents. He also called on officials to "stop incentivizing and rewarding illegal entry, and that’s at the federal, state and local level."

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-NY, participates in the annual West Indian Day parade on September 5, 2022, in Brooklyn, New York City.  (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Bartiromo asked Zeldin why New York’s largely Democratic voter base should vote him into Albany. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We in New York, regardless of whether you’re a Republican, Democrat or Independent, whether you’re from a red county or a blue country, all of us as New Yorkers, are taking control of our destiny to be able to save this state," Zeldin said. "To be able to take back our streets. To be able to back our men and women in law enforcement again. And for people who are thinking about fleeing, instead, they can stay and not have to go elsewhere for their safety and their family and for their future on economics and freedom and more."