General Election
Governor · Statewide
Competing state approaches to costs, safety and federal enforcement
Kathy Hochul, governor since 2021, is seeking reelection against Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman. Their positions cover affordability, public safety, housing, immigration enforcement and energy. Polling in the record through August showed Hochul ahead; the available financial filings establish reporting periods, but not comparable fundraising or cash-on-hand totals.
Issues
5 issues · 2 candidates · every claim sourced
Affordability and taxes
Central to the raceNew York uses an Executive Budget model: the governor submits a comprehensive plan to the Legislature, which amends and passes the budget, while the governor can approve or veto items added by the Legislature. The enacted FY 2027 budget includes child-care expansion, a $1 billion energy rebate and a state income-tax exemption for tips, so future tax and spending choices remain major levers.
The data behind the debate
Poverty rate in New York and the United States
Kathy Hochul
Supports expanding child care, reducing insurance and utility costs, raising eligibility for rent-freeze programs, ending state income taxes on tips, and freezing SUNY and CUNY tuition. The plan also calls for utility oversight and energy-saving investments to reduce household bills.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Signed the FY 2027 budget, which enacted child-care expansion, a $1 billion energy rebate program and other affordability measures.
Governor of New York · 2026-05-28 · Signed the FY 2027 enacted budget; measures were enacted, with implementation continuing.
Bruce A. Blakeman
Supports cutting taxes and says he would bring his Nassau County approach to statewide relief for homeowners and renters.
Bruce Blakeman for New York campaign ↗Public safety
Central to the raceNew York’s FY 2027 enacted budget includes more than $900 million in public-safety funding and new measures on illegal 3-D-printed firearms. The governor proposes and administers state programs and can sign or veto legislation, but durable changes to criminal law and appropriations depend on the Legislature.
Kathy Hochul
Supports targeted enforcement, more resources for law enforcement and first responders, stronger gun laws against homemade and 3-D-printed firearms, police on subway platforms, expanded SCOUT teams, and emergency-response improvements. She also links public safety to mental-health care and road-safety measures.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Signed the FY 2027 budget, which enacted more than $900 million in public-safety funding and new gun and transit-safety measures.
Governor of New York · 2026-05-28 · Signed the FY 2027 enacted budget; measures were enacted, with implementation continuing.
Bruce A. Blakeman
Says he would bring his Nassau County leadership statewide; the campaign cites prior county hiring, patrol and response-time claims, and cooperation with ICE.
Bruce Blakeman for New York campaign ↗Housing supply and costs
Central to the raceState law and the budget currently support housing construction through public funding and 2026 reforms to the State Environmental Quality Review Act that can expedite qualifying projects while retaining local zoning and other permits. The governor’s budget and legislation can shape those programs, but localities retain zoning authority and statutory changes require legislative action.
The data behind the debate
Owner-occupied home values in New York and the United States
Kathy Hochul
Supports reforms to speed housing construction while retaining environmental safeguards. Her FY27 budget enacted SEQRA reforms for qualifying housing and infrastructure projects, eliminating duplicative reviews while retaining environmental criteria.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Signed FY 2027 budget legislation reforming SEQRA to expedite qualifying housing and infrastructure projects while retaining environmental criteria.
Governor of New York · 2026-05-27 · Signed into law as part of the FY 2027 enacted budget; implementation status beyond enactment is not established.
Bruce A. Blakeman
Opposes all-electric building mandates that the campaign says raise rents and utility costs and stall construction.
Bruce Blakeman for New York campaign ↗Immigration and federal enforcement
Central to the raceNew York law now prohibits local governments and law-enforcement agencies from entering 287(g) agreements and requires existing agreements to end by August 25, 2026; it also restricts access to non-public areas of state and local facilities without a judicial warrant. The state’s direct levers are its laws, law-enforcement resources and agency administration, while the disputed enforcement activity is carried out under federal immigration authority.
The data behind the debate
Foreign-born residents in New York and the United States
Bruce A. Blakeman
Supports continued local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and opposes state limits on those partnerships.
Bruce Blakeman for New York campaign ↗Kathy Hochul
Supports restricting state and local participation in civil immigration enforcement while preserving cooperation on criminal cases. Her FY27 enacted budget bars local agencies from entering 287(g) agreements, limits use of public resources for civil enforcement, and protects schools, libraries, youth centers and other sensitive locations.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Signed the FY 2027 budget package enacting restrictions on local participation in federal civil immigration enforcement and protections for sensitive locations and public employees.
Governor of New York · 2026-05-28 · Signed into law as part of the FY 2027 enacted budget; implementation status beyond enactment is not established.
Energy costs and reliability
Also in playNew York’s current policy combines ratepayer relief with a clean-energy and reliability buildout: the FY 2026–27 budget includes a $1 billion utility-relief program, while state transmission and nuclear initiatives are intended to expand capacity and reliability. The governor influences these choices through the budget and executive direction, but utility rates and major projects also run through the Public Service Commission and other state agencies.
The data behind the debate
Average retail electricity price in New York and the United States
Kathy Hochul
Supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes expanding nuclear power, adding reliable generation and transmission, and continuing clean-energy projects while seeking immediate rate relief. She has proposed stronger utility oversight, household energy-saving assistance and requiring very large data centers to provide or pay more for their power use.
✓ Track record — what they've actually done
Signed the FY 2027 budget, which enacted a $1 billion energy-rebate program and utility ratepayer protections.
Governor of New York · 2026-05-28 · Signed the FY 2027 enacted budget; measures were enacted, with implementation continuing.
Bruce A. Blakeman
Promises to cut electricity bills in half, opposes energy mandates it says raise bills, and promotes Marcellus Shale gas.
Bruce Blakeman for New York campaign ↗