Why would New York reelect Kathy Hochul amid her affordability crisis? 

Are New Yorkers suffering from Stockholm Syndrome? That’s the only plausible explanation I can think of for why Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is leading Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman in the polls.  

Stockholm Syndrome describes how kidnapping victims sometimes develop an emotional bond with their abductors, and, as in the original case of a 1973 bank robbery and hostage situation in Sweden, defend and even admire their captors. Hochul may be benefitting from such a response today. 

The latest Siena survey shows Hochul, a Democrat, ahead of Nassau County Executive Blakeman by 9 points, 50-41. True, her advantage is slipping slightly, but the same poll shows that 65 percent of New Yorkers expect the governor to be reelected in November.   

This makes little sense, with the country so obsessed with “affordability” — why would New Yorkers even consider reelecting the current governor, who has arguably helped make the Empire State one of the least affordable places on earth? According to the World Population Review, New York is the fourth most expensive state in the union overall, also ranking fourth most costly for rents. New York is the 10th most expensive state for groceries, ninth priciest for health care and eighth most expensive for transportation.  

In other words, New York is, for far too many people, anything but affordable. Voters should know: it doesn’t have to be this way. Hochul and her disgraced predecessor Andrew Cuomo have made a series of decisions that have driven costs up, but that could be reversed by a change in leadership. 

Let’s start with energy. Yes, the war in Iran has inflated the cost of gasoline and other petroleum products, like diesel fuel, in recent months. But New Yorkers have been staring down rising charges for heating their home and filling........

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