Since the Democrats took hold of the New York State Senate in the beginning of 2019, New York has been a one-party state. Between the radical legislation, the malicious prosecution, and the mishandling of the executive, it’s become clear that New York Democrats need some check on their power. New Yorkers have the opportunity to right the ship by voting Republicans back into Albany.
Taking on John Liu in the 11th District, which covers northern Queens, is Elisa Nahoum. A lifelong resident of Flushing, who started her own mortgage brokerage firm, in 2008 she saw firsthand how the government interfered with the rights of business owners. Instead of complaining about it, she started to get more involved in both local and national politics. What she found disturbed her. “It’s pretty scary when you see how crooked [politicians] are and what they will do for money, and they will sell you out for money.”
A Jewish woman of Puerto Rican descent, Elisa has appreciated the work that President Trump has done to help the Jewish people and Israel. “President Trump, like it or not, he has changed history. He is good for the Jews,” she said. Elisa believes Trump’s record is unquestionable. Between pulling out of the Iran Deal, moving the embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the sovereignty of the Golan Heights, declaring that the Area C settlements in Judea and Samaria are not illegal, and facilitating peace between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, Trump has created a far more stable Middle East. Elisa is deeply concerned about the anti-Israel trend rising in the Democratic Party.
In August, the Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) asked all candidates running for City Council, “Do you pledge not to travel to Israel if elected to City Council in solidarity with Palestinians living under occupation? Even though foreign policy falls outside the purview of municipal government, gestures like travel to a country by elected officials from a city the size and prominence of New York still send a powerful message, as would the refusal to participate in them.” For the DSA, traveling to Israel is a deal-breaker, and elected officials from New York are increasingly of that ilk.
While issues like Israel are outside the purview of local politics, crime is not. For months, crime has risen while the police have become more and more discouraged. “We’re in a bad situation,” says a concerned Elisa. “We’ve got no law. So remember when you call the police, they’re going to be shorthanded. They have 4,138-plus retirees already that put the papers in. They have a shortage of new people coming in. If you go to the police academy, you’re going to see a small class.” With the lack of police comes the rise of criminals.
Democrats under Bill de Blasio have also been moving released Rikers inmates into Fresh Meadows, housing over 100 of them in a Wyndham Hotel there. “I’ve been fighting and protesting for months now to close that center,” Elisa says. This is one issue where Elisa and her opponent, John Liu, share common ground. Liu sent a letter to Cuomo requesting that the housing be short-term only.
While Liu reacted to this issue that his constituents cared about, his actions and voting record reflect another set of priorities. Liu co-sponsored the bail reform legislation that led to an increase in crimes, especially crimes against Jews. Elisa does not hold back her displeasure in the way that New York has been run. “We have poor leadership. We have crooks... This year will determine in New York whether we go left or right. If we go left, we’re in a lot of trouble… So I threw myself in the ring, because John Liu was going to go unopposed.”
Her legislative agenda aims to tackle the crime in the city. “The first thing we have to do is the bail reform. That is a must.” State Democrats look at bail reform as a great success, a method of protecting low-level criminality from getting embroiled in the system. Elisa sees the results of the legislation, which includes an increase in crime and a lowering of quality of life for the law-abiding constituency. She also plans on introducing hate crime legislation for anyone who attacks a person of faith, be it Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, so they would receive harsher penalties. “That’s the kind of bill I want to make, because I feel it’s freedom of religion. We are free to practice, and everyone should be safeguarded under that.”
Elisa knows that she has a long shot to win the election, but she believes that the violence in Democratic cities around the country is turning people off from the Democratic Party. “If this year people don’t wake up, they’ll never wake up.” She says that the time is right to “give Republicans a chance” to lead the State. Given how New York has been going for the past few years, she may be right.
Moshe Hill is a political analyst who has written for The Daily Wire, the Queens Jewish Link, The Jewish Link of New Jersey and JNS.org. He is regularly featured on ‘The Josh M Show’ podcast. Subscribe to www.aHillwithaview.com for more content from Moshe Hill. Like him on Facebook at facebook.com/ahillwithaview and follow him on Twitter @TheMoHill.