Conservative New Yorkers Mull Moves to Other States After Zeldin Defeat

New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) appear at “Get Out the Vote Rally” in Thornwood, Westchester N.Y., on Oct. 31, 2022. Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times

When Kings College student Jaidyn Fisher moved to New York from Texas before COVID emerged, she knew the political climate would be liberal, but had hoped that Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin would be elected and usher in a more conservative agenda.

“I didn’t expect things to be this bad,” Fisher, 22, said. “Doing trivial things feels like you’re out fighting for your life almost and with taxes, everything is so unaffordable.

As previously reported in The Epoch Times, Zeldin lost to incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul in the Nov. 8 elections. Hochul won her first full term in office with 54.2 percent of the vote to Zeldin’s 45.8 percent.

Joshua Mason (L) and Jaidyn Fisher (R) at the Nov. 8 election night watch party discuss how they feel about Zeldin's loss. Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times

“A good Republican showing means that the country, as well as the state, is prepared for Republican leadership and although in New York, it was a long shot, New Yorkers can rise up and say ‘enough is enough’ in terms of crime and corruption,” said 26-year-old Sebastian Balasov, a financial analyst.

Fisher and Balasov were among the crowd of 300 conservatives who milled about at a Metropolitan Republican Club election watch party on East 83rd Street in Manhattan on the evening of Nov. 8, after dining on slices of pizza.

They talked about moving to Florida, Texas, New Jersey, and Tennessee in the aftermath of Zeldin’s loss and how education, the medical system, the crime rate, and energy prices may be further affected by the Democrat’s victory.

“A lot of hardworking people are thinking of moving out of the city,” Balasov told The Epoch Times. “I may leave the city. I am thinking about Nashville. There’s a great music scene. It’s safer too, and warmer.”

Mike Zumbluskas, the Republican candidate for New York's 12th Congressional, discussed the effect of Zeldin's loss on energy prices at the party's Nov. 8 election night watch party. Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times

“Hochul is going to owe the green energy and progressive wing of her party so she’s going to continue a ban on fracking,” 12th District GOP candidate Mike Zumbluskas told The Epoch Times at the watch party.

“Zeldin was going to open up fracking again, which would have lowered energy prices for everybody,” said Zumbluskas, who lost to Democrat incumbent Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

For Joshua Mason, Hochul’s victory is causing him to consider relocating to Florida or Texas because he witnessed a shooting on his Nassau County block.

“It’s strange because crime really doesn’t come out that far into Long Island,” he said. “Usually, it happens only here in New York City and with four more years of Hochul, New York may be beyond redemption at that point.”

Brian Merritt, 48, had hoped for checks and balances related to his concerns about the education system.

“My 11-year-old was introduced to email for the first time, and she was told to put her pronouns at the bottom,” he said. “We’re teaching kids to make sure their pronouns are attached to their email signature. It’s just bizarre.”

Brian Merritt says he's concerned about the New York education system. Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times

With Hochul’s election, the software salesman said he doesn’t foresee the New York City school system being returned to state authority in Albany.

“We’ve let the teachers union just run rampant over what’s going on to teach our kids,” Merritt told The Epoch Times. “What happened to reading, writing, and arithmetic?”

As an unvaccinated New Yorker, Bonnie Zijic, 67, has concerns about her medical freedom and plans to relocate to New Jersey.

“It’s life and death for me,” she said.