In the New York City mayoral race, the Dems were fortunate enough that Eric Adams, an anti-crime candidate, became the nominee, rather than the AOC-backed troll, and that the GOP candidate, who should have been able to deliver a compelling anti-crime message based on his history instead proved to be erratic, awkward, and past his prime.

The governor’s race is shaping up to be the exact opposite with Cuomo trying to make a comeback against Gov. Hochul who is trying to stay on the good side of the radical Left by continuing to champion no bail for criminals. The revolving door prison policy has sent New York back to the bad days of the 70s.

And New Yorkers hate it.

A total of 56 percent of voters in the Empire State believe the 2019 bail reform has been bad for New York compared to 30 percent who said it was good policy, the Siena College survey found.

Nearly two-thirds of voters — 64 percent — think the law has resulted in an increase in crime, compared to 24 percent who said it hasn’t.

The poll asked 804 voters if the law approved in 2019 should be amended to give judges more discretion to post cash bail based on the severity of the alleged crime or criminal history of a defendant.

A staggering 82 percent of voters said judges should be given more authority to post bail for more defendants, compared to 11 percent who were opposed.

Between a possible Cuomo-Hochul grudge match and the party’s determination to stick with pro-crime policies, the GOP should have a solid opening.

Should.

But the state party, which has come to be defined by crooked suburban apparatchiks with no political appeal or campaign skills outside their narrow precincts, appears incapable of learning anything from past elections. That’s why desperate New York Republicans have started to talk about bringing back Pataki. Pataki was a mediocre figure and much too old, but he did put an end to Cuomo Sr’s political career by running forcefully against Cuomo’s pro-crime positions. The lesson here isn’t to drag out Pataki again, but to run someone who can do what he did. If there’s any New York election year in which the GOP has a shot, it’s one in which the public backlash is rising and Republicans all but took New Jersey if not for the usual fraud. 

But New York’s GOP, like its California counterpart, appears to be addicted to losing and to learning nothing from those defeats.