(The Center Square) – Democratic New York Gov. Kathy has won another four-year term after soundly defeating Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman in Tuesday’s gubernatorial election.
Hochul was ahead of Blakeman by 77% to 22.6% – with only 12% of the voting precincts reporting – when the Associated Press called the race shortly after polls across the Empire State closed at 8 p.m.
Hochul, 68, took over as governor in 2021 after then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo stepped down amid sexual harassment claims, and won a full term in 2022 after defeating Republican Lee Zeldin.
She was seeking a second full term with her running mate, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams after a falling out with her former second-in-command, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who challenged her in the Democratic primary.
Blakeman, 70, a Nassau County Executive, was making his first run for governor with President Donald Trump’s endorsement and Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
A fixture in Long Island politics, Blakeman gained national notoriety last year after he pushed through a law that bars transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports at county-run facilities.
Republicans were pinning their hopes of winning back the governor’s office on Blakeman, focusing on Hochul’s pro-immigration policies, crime, and support for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s leftist agenda. On the campaign trail, Blakeman hammered away at the Democrat over her handling of the state’s economy, energy prices and her opposition to federal immigration enforcement.
“Kathy Hochul has put our state in crisis,” Blakeman said in recent remarks. “Taxes are souring. Electric bills and insurance premiums keep climbing out of control. Crime is rising. Businesses are leaving the state in record numbers. Families and seniors are being priced out of their homes.”
But Blakeman failed to gain statewide traction with New York voters with recent polls showing Hochul with sizable leads and suggesting many didn’t know much about his candidacy. He has also struggled to get his message out amid lackluster fundraising.
Hochul has maintained a huge cash advantage over Blakeman with her campaign and the state Democratic Party reporting $22 million available for the race at the end of last month.
Unlike Hochul, Blakeman was participating in New York’s public financing program, which matches the first $250 of contributions to their campaign with public funds at a 6-to-1 rate.
He has also faced a litany of campaign finance related problems, including initially being denied access to the public financing program that prompted his campaign to go to court.
