The videos show Mr. Zeldin, standing in the bed of a truck, addressing supporters gathered outside a VFW hall in Fairport, New York, when a man approaches him slowly from the right, grabs him by the arm and brandishes a weapon. Mr. Zeldin responds by grabbing the man’s wrist and then joins several men to restrain the assailant. Mr. Zeldin said in a statement issued after the attack that he, his running mate, Alison Esposito, and members of his campaign staff were safe. “Someone tried to stab me on stage during tonight’s rally, but luckily, I was able to grab his wrist and stop him for a few moments until others tackled him,” he said, placing the attack in the context of his brutal onslaught. criminal campaign message. “I am as determined as ever to do my part to make New York safe again.” David G. Jakubonis, 43, of Fairport, was identified as a suspect and charged with attempted second-degree assault, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Giakubonis was arraigned in Perrinton County Court and released, according to the sheriff’s office. A bystander in one video can be heard saying “he’s got a knife,” but another close-up video of the incident posted by WHEC-TV in Rochester shows the man holding what appears to be a pointed self-defense tool shaped like face of a cartoon cat. Wearing sunglasses and an Iraq war veteran’s hat, the man can be heard saying “you’re done, you’re done, you’re done” as he wrestles with Mr Zeldin. The incident comes at a time when actual and threatened political violence — including threats directed at members of Congress — is on the rise across the United States. Governor Kathy Hochul, Mr. Zeldin’s Democratic opponent, quickly condemned “this violent behavior in the strongest terms — it has no place in New York.” The event in Monroe County was the first stop on a planned weekend “Unite to Fire Hochul” bus tour of upstate New York to unofficially launch Mr. Zeldin’s general election campaign. A 42-year-old fourth-term congressman from Long Island, an army reservist and an ally of former President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Zeldin narrowly won the Republican nomination for governor last month. He has made crime a centerpiece of his campaign for governor, using evocative terms to paint a dark picture of the state of public safety and appeal to New Yorkers’ sense of unease. He specifically blamed Democrats and Ms. Hotchul for rising crime, calling on them to restore most cash bail and increase policing. Hours before the attempted attack, Mr. Zeldin’s campaign had released its first digital ad of the general election, a lengthy spot attacking Ms. Hochul for refusing to fire Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, after Mr. Bragg initially filed second-degree murder charges against a bodega employee who fatally stabbed an assailant. Mr Bragg withdrew the charge on Tuesday, but he and his policies are a frequent punching bag for the political right. In his speech shortly before the attack, Mr. Zeldin discussed how New York’s rising crime rate and high cost of living were driving residents out of the state to places like Florida and Texas. “This is our last stand for New York,” he said, referring to his campaign to oust Democrats from Albany, according to video of the speech. Mr. Zeldin faces an uphill battle as he tries to become the first Republican to win nationally in New York in two decades. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than two to one in New York, and Ms. Hotchul enters the race with a huge financial advantage. He hopes both factors will be a bulwark against favorable political conditions for Republicans nationally. Jesse McKinley and Daniel Victor contributed reporting.
