Ex-Gov. Pataki says Zeldin on cusp of upset like his own 1994 victory

New York’s last Republican governor is ready to party like it’s 1994.

George Pataki told The Post gubernatorial GOP candidate Lee Zeldin has a real shot to replicate his own stunning upset over three-term incumbent Democrat Mario Cuomo that year.

“This is a real cliff hanger. Clearly the momentum is with Zeldin. Lee has an excellent chance on Tuesday to pull this off,” Pataki, 77, told The Post.

“The failure of Hochul and the Democrats to deal with crime and change the pro-criminal laws they created has provided the opening.” 

A series of recent polls show a tight race between Zeldin and incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul, who replaced disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year, after he resigned under the threat of impeachment over accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Pataki ran against against Andrew’s father on the crime issue and taxes.

At that time, the Republican from Peekskill hammered Cuomo’s support for the death penalty and vowed to cut taxes, which he did. Pataki went on to serve three-terms from 1995 through 2006.

During the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Pataki helped oversee New York’s recovery, along with then-Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Giuliani’s successor, Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Pataki has served as a top surrogate for Zeldin — stumping for him in parts of the state and making numerous TV news appearances.

Hochul has come under fire for accusing Republicans of being “master manipulators” and “data deniers” and engaged in a “conspiracy” to stir up fear about crime — noting some crimes, like murder and shootings, are down. However, overall crime is up, particularly kilings in the transit system.

She also claims she’s adequately addressed crime — tweaking the controversial cashless bail law and dedicating state funds to pay for overtime to put more cops in the city’s subway system to stem a 40% surge in crime.

But Hochul has been put on the defensive on crime even during interviews with ultra- liberal media outlets, with an MSNBC host telling Hochul “we don’t feel safe.”