New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was ripped by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for suggesting at a rally earlier this month that Empire State conservatives should take a hike. DeSantis said at an unrelated press conference: “You have the governor of New York saying all Republicans need to get on a bus and leave the state and come to Florida.”
“Who would say something so ridiculous? To say if you don’t agree with me then you don’t even have a right to be here,” he added. Hochul sparked controversy by saying political opponents like Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin ought to ditch New York as she rallied with fellow Democrats ahead of a special election in Congressional District 19 in the Hudson Valley.
“We are fighting for democracy. We’re fighting to bring government back to the people and out of the hands of dictators,” Hochul said at a rally in Kingston alongside Democratic congressional candidate Pat Ryan. Hochul raised eyebrows for saying her conservative nemeses have no place in her state. These names include former President Donald Trump, gubernatorial opponent Lee Zeldin and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro.
Hochul said: “Trump and Zeldin and Molinaro, just jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong. OK? Get out of town. Because you don’t represent our values.” “You’re not New Yorkers,” Hochul added.
Molinaro tweeted in response to her comments: “Really, @KathyHochul? I’m not a New Yorker!? You sound exactly likely your predecessor. I lost my father in this state, raise my children here and have given every day in service to my community. Disagree with your corrupted government, and we are not New Yorkers? #Shameful.”
DeSantis also called out recent comments from federal officials, warning of a growing intolerance towards conservatives. “And now you have Biden… He’s going to say… the majority of the country that opposes his policies are somehow semi-fascist,” DeSantis said. The statement was made by DeSantis while ripping the planned enlargement of the Internal Revenue Service.
The bolstered agency would be used to target political opponents, DeSantis said, and hat sharpening anti-Republican rhetoric suggests that it will be “weaponized” to punish rivals, said NY Post. “They go after people they don’t like. That’s unfortunately where we are in this country,” he said. DeSantis is considered a potential 2024 Republican presidential nominee frontrunner, but has not indicated what his plans are at the time of this being published.
In the past few months, the Floridian has routinely jousted with several Democrat leaders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom who is constantly criticized, even by people in his own state.