Crime and policing always prove important in New York State elections. In 2022, the state bail reforms of 2019, which had become widely unpopular amid a scary crime spike during and after the height of COVID-19, gave Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin a useful angle of attack in challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Four years and one election later, Hochul seems to have gone as far as the Democratic legislature would allow in modifying the bail laws to give judges greater discretion to set cash bail, especially against repeat offenders and for property crimes.

Mindful of crime as a possible liability in a general election, the Hochul reelection campaign has beefed up her image on policing. She touts in her record a $4 billion state investment in public safety programs and more importantly, cites an overall drop in major crimes, which is reflected nationwide.

For elected Democrats, even left-wing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the........

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