A deal between Suozzi and Williams? (Updated)

                                                                                  

For some time, political pundits have speculated that  U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a conservative Democrat from Glen Cove, and Jumaane Williams, New York City's progressive public advocate, had a deal in the coming Democratic primary for governor.

Suozzi, who is giving up his Congressional seat to run for governor,  would capture the Democratic conservative vote. Williams, who has the Working Families party line in the general elections, would win the progressive vote. That leaves little support for unelected Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo Democrat who automatically was boosted from lieutenant governor to governor when Andrew Cuomo resigned last August.

Hochul has been strongly endorsed by state and Nassau Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs and has raised a record $22 million from mostly corporate contributions.

Even if Hochul wins the June primary, she could be so battered and bruised that Republican Lee Zeldin may take the governor's office in November, although New York is a very blue state.

So it's interesting to see Suozzi and Williams team up yesterday to ask television stations across the state to hold six debates before the June 28 primary.

Nick Reisman, state political reporter for Spectrum News, tweeted this morning that so far, Suozzi and Williams have agreed to appear in two televised debates but Hochul is still "weighing" whether to participate.

Hochul's election bid took a beating last week when her own chosen lieutenant governor candidate Brian Benjamin was arrested on federal corruptions charges involving questionable campaign contributions.

The city subway shooting also hurt Hochul, who has been loathe to make significant changes in New York's bail reform laws even as critics say the revised law is contributing to rising crime rates. Anger over cashless bail laws helped Republicans win across Long Island last November.

Hochul also has taken a hit on her generous Buffalo Bills stadium deal.

There really is no upside for Hochul to appear in the debates. She already gets statewide publicity  as governor by holding near daily press conferences or by announcing state funding for local interests throughout the state.

Debates usually help the challengers, not the front-runner.

Update: Zach Fink News tweeted that Hochul, at an event in Flushing today,  committed to debating her primary opponents "more than once" before the primary but did not give times or locations.