Hochul Wins Second Full Term as New York Governor

Published on November 3, 2026.

Gov. Kathy Hochul won reelection November 3, defeating Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman and securing a second full four-year term. The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed at 9 p.m.

Hochul and her running mate, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, also became the first all-woman ticket elected statewide in New York. Adams will be the state’s first Black woman lieutenant governor.

Affordability dominated the campaign. Hochul highlighted tax cuts, energy rebates, housing initiatives and expanded child care, while Blakeman focused on the cost of living, taxes, utility bills and public safety. He pledged tax cuts and lower utility costs, and called for stronger coordination between municipal police and federal immigration officials.

Blakeman, Nassau County’s executive and a Trump-backed candidate, also criticized Hochul’s partnership with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Hochul sought to tie Blakeman to President Donald Trump, and campaigned alongside Mamdani in the closing days. Hochul and Mamdani have joined forces to expand free child care, but differ over Mamdani’s proposals to increase levies on affluent New York residents and businesses.

Hochul took office in 2021 after Andrew Cuomo resigned, then won her first full term in 2022. Her new term runs through 2030.

New Yorkers Reelect Hochul as Blakeman’s Trump-Backed Bid Falls Short

Published on November 3, 2026.

New Yorkers chose a second full term for Gov. Kathy Hochul, turning back Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Trump-backed Republican who made taxes, utility bills and public safety central to his challenge. The Associated Press called the race soon after polls closed.

Hochul’s campaign focused on affordability, including tax cuts, energy rebates, housing initiatives and expanded child care. Her partnership with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani helped put that agenda in view: the two have joined efforts to provide free child care, even as Hochul has resisted his proposals to increase taxes on affluent residents and corporations.

Hochul also sought to connect Blakeman to President Donald Trump. Blakeman criticized her relationship with Mamdani and urged closer coordination between municipal police and federal immigration officials. Voters nonetheless returned Hochul to office, giving her and running mate Adrienne Adams a second full term.

Their victory also makes them New York’s first all-woman statewide ticket to win election. Adams will become the state’s first Black woman lieutenant governor. Hochul, who became governor after Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021, will serve through 2030.

Hochul Wins Again as New York’s Affordability Concerns Persist

Published on November 3, 2026.

Kathy Hochul won a second full term as New York governor, defeating Bruce Blakeman after a campaign in which the Nassau County executive pressed voters on the state’s high costs, taxes, utility bills and public safety. The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed.

Blakeman promised tax cuts and lower utility costs, and urged closer coordination between municipal police and federal immigration officials. He also criticized Hochul’s partnership with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. His challenge did not overcome Hochul’s advantage in the statewide contest.

Hochul emphasized tax cuts, energy rebates, housing and child care, while seeking to tie Blakeman to President Donald Trump, who backed the Republican. Mamdani campaigned with Hochul in the final days. They have joined forces to broaden access to free child care, but Hochul has resisted his proposals to increase taxes on affluent New Yorkers and businesses.

The result returns Hochul to office through 2030 and gives her running mate, former City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a place in New York history: the pair are the first all-woman statewide ticket elected, and Adams will be the state’s first Black woman lieutenant governor. The campaign’s central cost-of-living concerns remain the test facing the governor’s next term.