What voters should know about Kathy Hochul ahead of midterms: Campaign promises, polling

NEW YORK - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is running for reelection this year – here's what voters should know about the incumbent ahead of the upcoming election.

JUMP TO: CAREER | MAMDANI | TRUMP | OPPONENT | CAMPAIGN

Hochul's background, political career

Timeline:

Born in Buffalo in 1958, Hochul attended Syracuse University and earned a law degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. 

After leaving Congress, she briefly worked in the private sector before joining former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign, serving as Lieutenant Governor of New York until he announced his resignation in 2021.

Hochul then ran to retain her position after finishing out Cuomo's term; she won the gubernatorial election in 2022, beating out Rep. Lee Zeldin and making her the first female elected governor of New York.

Gubernatorial career

Dig deeper:

Hochul touts that she made the state more affordable on her official website. The governor specifically highlights:

• Providing inflation rebate checks to over 8 million households
• Establishing the country's first prenatal leave policy
• Banning insulin copays

Also spotlighted on her website is Hochul's work to protect residents' "fundamental rights" by enshrining the Equal Rights Amendment in the state's constitution.

Gov. Hochul also instituted a "bell-to-bell" ban on all personal devices for students in public schools, going so far as to even introduce a mascot for the idea of phone-free schools.

A survey distributed by the governor's office at the end of last year showed that the ban yielded "outstanding" results, with over 90% of schools reporting a "smooth transition."

Another first Hochul is responsible for is the nation's first statewide moratorium on specific data centers – in other words, a temporary pause on the construction of new hyperscale data centers in the state.

Hochul's alliance with Mamdani

Local perspective:

The governor's relationship with now-Mayor Zohran Mamdani began when she endorsed him in the mayoral election about one year ago.

Hochul met with Mamdani shortly after he won the mayoral election to discuss potential strategies to counter President Donald Trump's threats to deploy federal forces to the city, as well as ways to make the city more affordable.

The mayor threw his support behind the governor in February of this year, along with Attorney General Letitia James.

Mamdani specifically cited Hochul's cooperation on a plan for universal child care in the city, which has led to 2,000 free 2-K seats that launched this school year.

Later that same month, the governor announced that New York state would allocate over $1 billion to New York City over the next two years to address any fiscal challenges.

One of the hiccups in this alliance was Hochul's reluctance to support the mayor's proposed tax increase on some of the city's wealthiest residents. However, the governor did publicly endorse Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax, which has recently come under fire for its rollout.

Hochul's relationship with Trump

Big picture view:

President Trump was not initially in favor of Hochul's endorsement of Mamdani, alleging in a Truth Social post that he would withhold federal funds from the state in response to the move last year.

Months later, Hochul confirmed that over $10 billion in federal funds for the state would be lost for the following year, according to her 2027 Executive Budget.

Hochul directly blamed the president for this lack of future funding, calling the Trump administration a "threat" to the state's budget.

The two have also gone back and forth on the state's congestion pricing plan – the Trump administration has even gone so far as to order a halt on the program in the past.

Gov. Hochul expanded on her relationship with the president during her appearance on Politics Unusual, calling Trump's threats to send more federal immigration agents into New York City an "abuse of power."

The race against Blakeman

The other side:

A recent Siena poll shows that Hochul's lead over her competitor, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, has dropped from 20 to 10 points.

Hochul's favorability rating, in comparison, is holding strong at 46%, especially when compared to Blakeman's 33% – 40% of likely voters that were polled did not feel informed enough on the Republican nominee's career to hold an opinion.

Campaign promises

What they're saying:

Hochul selected her running mate, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, in February 2026.

In her 2026 State of the State, the governor outlined proposals focused on affordability, public safety and support for families, framing her agenda as a continuation of previous efforts with a renewed emphasis on protecting children, preventing gun violence and expanding access to child care.