Gov. Kathy Hochul secures next term

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul secured another four years in office after defeating Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman in the Nov. 3 general election.

The Associated Press called the race just after polls closed at 9 p.m. Hochul received 61.64% of the vote, while Blakeman secured 37.19%, with about 69% of votes reported as of press time, according to the state board of elections’ unofficial election night results.

Hochul thanked her family, her team, other elected officials and her suporters.

“Serving as your governor has been the privilege of a lifetime, and I will never ever take your trust in me for granted,” she said during her election night speech.

Blakeman, who was reelected Nassau County Executive in 2025, was joined on the ballot by running mate Sheriff Todd Hood.

Hochul, who became New York’s first female governor in 2021, will serve a second full term alongside running mate Adrienne Adams, the former New York City Council speaker.

Born and raised in Buffalo, Hochul grew up in a working-class Irish Catholic family as one of six children, according to her campaign website. Her father worked at a steel plant while pursuing his education, an upbringing Hochul has frequently cited as shaping her approach to public service.

After graduating from Syracuse University and earning a law degree, Hochul worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan before beginning her political career on the Hamburg Town Board, her website also states. She later served as Erie County clerk and won a special election to Congress in 2011.

Hochul was elected lieutenant governor in 2014 and assumed the governorship in August 2021 following Andrew Cuomo’s resignation. She subsequently won her first full term in 2022.

Throughout her reelection campaign, Hochul emphasized affordability, public safety, housing and education, according to her campaign website, pointing to measures enacted during her administration.

Among those initiatives were inflation refund checks distributed to more than 8 million New Yorkers, expanded child tax credits, middle-class income tax cuts and universal free school meals for public school students.

Her administration also enacted restrictions on cellphone use during the school day and strengthened state gun laws, including restrictions on carrying firearms in designated sensitive locations.

On housing, Hochul has supported efforts to increase the supply of affordable homes and preserve existing units, while pledging to expand access to child care and reduce costs for working families.

Hochul also made opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies a central theme of her campaign, particularly regarding immigration, federal funding and reproductive rights.

Blakeman, meanwhile, centered his campaign on public safety, tax relief and opposition to Democratic policies, highlighting his record as Nassau County executive.

According to his campaign website, Blakeman’s administration hired hundreds of police and other law enforcement personnel to increase patrols and strengthen public safety. His campaign also emphasized his opposition to state sanctuary policies.

On taxes, his website credits him with preventing $150 million in proposed property tax increases and keeping county property and sales tax rates unchanged during his tenure. Blakeman pledged to bring a similar approach to public safety and tax relief statewide if elected governor.

A spokesperson for Blakeman did not respond for comment on election night.

In her election night speech, Hochul said if President Donald Trump’s actions threaten New Yorkers’ rights or put New York families at risk, she will fight him “every single time.”

She said the best days of New York are ahead of us.

“Your family and your future are my fight,” she said.