ALBANY — As New York voters prepare to cast ballots this month in elections for statewide offices, the candidates are channeling much of their messaging at concerns with rising violent crime and a sense that communities have become increasingly vulnerable to gangs and gunplay.

In last week’s televised debate featuring Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Gov. Kathy Hochul “attempted to shift the conversation about crime to the gun control issue,” observed Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell School at Syracuse University.

“The problem there is that the kinds of legislation the Legislature just passed really don’t address the nature of most gun crime, particularly the gun crime that affects poor communities,” Reeher said. Those incidents often involve firearms that have been acquired illegally and thus fall outside the scope of the legally owned weapons the state and federal governments regulate.

During the forum, Hochul was pressed by Marcia Kramer, a political reporter for WCBS, as to whether she “regretted” that restoring the dangerousness standard for allowing judges to remand defendants to jail had not been included in a package of criminal justice reforms.

In reply, Hochul defended her handling of the bail issue, contending that the dangerousness standard “can be subjective and many times is used against an individual because of the color of their skin.”

“We don’t need to go backwards,” said Hochul, referring to a time when county jail populations were higher because many prisoners could not come up with enough cash for bail. She insisted she would not compromise on either “justice or safety.”

Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate Democrat from Long Island and a candidate for governor, noted that New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been pleading with Albany leaders to restore the dangerousness standard to New York’s bail law, slamming Hochul for not leading the charge for updating the statute. “I will,” he vowed.

The focus on crime came in the same week that a new Siena College/Spectrum News poll found 75% of New York City residents are at least somewhat concerned they will be victimized by violent criminals.

More than 75% of New Yorkers are at least somewhat concerned they will fall victim to violent crime, according to a survey released Tuesday, a sky-high figure showing a city put on edge by wild shootings, random robberies and subway carnage five months into Mayor Adams’ administration.

In the survey, 38% of respondents said they were somewhat concerned they would become a victim of a violent crime, and another 38% said they were highly concerned about the possibility.

Suozzi is calling crime the top issue in the election season. Republican leaders have also been heavily focused on criminal justice issues.

The GOP leaders of the Senate and Assembly on Wednesday launched a push for a constitutional amendment that would allow recall elections for district attorneys. The move follows Tuesday’s election in California, where San Francisco voters recalled their local district attorney, Chesa Boudin, whose critics labeled him “soft on crime” at a time of rising homicides and burglaries.

“Any district attorney who fails to make crime victims their number one priority has no business serving the public,” Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, R-Niagara County, said.

Veteran Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said some Democratic candidates have become “sadly deluded” into believing they can win elections this year by focusing on their abortion rights platforms while downplaying the crime issue.

Voters in suburban communities — often the ones that are pivotal in statewide elections — are particularly worried about rising violent crime and a sense that their government has failed to adequately respond, Sheinkopf said.

“If present trends continue, (Rep.) Elise Stefanik (R-Saratoga County) stands to become the most powerful woman in the United States,” said Sheinkopf, contending her tough-on-crime approach is resonating with voters.

The frontrunner for the GOP nomination for governor, Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-Long Island, has been emphasizing his public safety stances since launching his campaign last year.

Zeldin said Wednesday: “New Yorkers are sick and tired of criminals ruling our streets, and they’re ready to end the attacks on our safety, repeal cashless bail, take back our streets and save our state,”

Meanwhile, Hochul’s campaign went on the airwaves with a new ad that highlights several gun control bills crafted by various lawmakers, before closing: “If Washington won’t keep people safe, I will.”

Sheinkopf said he believes the GOP has the potential to make gains in some regions of the state in the mid-term elections, but only if they present effective plans for responding to the crime surge.

“They need to show they have plans for protecting people not only in New York City, but also in suburban Monroe County, and in suburban Onondaga County, and show they have a plan that talks about crime against police officers in Niagara Falls,” Sheinkopf said. “They have to redefine the argument. But if they define it with traditional right-wing, crazy rhetoric, they’re going to get killed.”