Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat whose folksy, centrist approach has helped her forge relationships with leaders as disparate as President Trump and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, won a second full term as governor of New York, according to The Associated Press.
Ms. Hochul, the state’s first female governor, defeated Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, a Republican who is a longtime friend of Mr. Trump’s. Their alliance proved auspicious for Ms. Hochul, a Buffalo native who spent months bashing her opponent for supporting the Trump administration’s policies.
But Ms. Hochul, 68, has also displayed an ability to work with the president, despite their profound differences. She worked with the Trump administration on new energy projects, including the jump-starting of several stalled natural gas pipeline projects, and has looked for moments to influence the administration’s immigration enforcement in the state.
At the same time, the governor fought the Trump administration’s efforts to kill the congestion pricing program, which is on track to raise $15 billion for transit improvements by charging vehicles to enter the Manhattan business district.
At one point, Mr. Trump posted on social media, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” In response Ms. Hochul said: “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. We’ll see you in court.” (New York ended up prevailing in court, and the toll remained in effect).
Ms. Hochul’s re-election bid became as much a referendum on the actions coming from the White House as on policies flowing from the State Capitol in Albany, N.Y. The governor’s campaign focused on Mr. Blakeman’s fidelity to Mr. Trump in its tens of millions of dollars in attack ads against her rival.
“We have a real record of accomplishment,” she said on Sunday at a Queens sports bar while campaigning with Mr. Mamdani and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“When you’re delivering universal child care, when you’re delivering record investments in education, when you’re delivering health care despite all the Trump administration cutbacks, when you’re focusing on affordability and what we can do to help lift up New Yorkers,” Ms. Hochul said, “that is the message that is resonating.”
Despite his best efforts, Mr. Blakeman, 71, a longtime player in Republican politics on Long Island, struggled to shake loose from his association with Mr. Trump.
After winning re-election as county executive last fall, Mr. Blakeman entered the governor’s race, setting up a primary against Representative Elise Stefanik, a well-known staunch defender of Mr. Trump. But Ms. Stefanik abruptly dropped out and announced that she would not seek re-election to the House.
Mr. Blakeman used his campaign messaging to try to attract disaffected Democrats and independent voters who have been burdened by rising energy costs and high taxes.
But he was dogged by fund-raising challenges and temporarily waylaid by irregularities in his required filings to the state. At one point he was removed from the campaign finance matching program and had to sue to regain access.
In the end he spent around $24 million on ads, according to AdImpact, just a bit shy of what Ms. Hochul spent, and benefited from help from a group that was seeded with donations from James Dolan, the owner of the New York Knicks.
For Ms. Hochul, winning a second term strengthens her own legacy, and opens the door for her to match two recent predecessors, Mario M. Cuomo and George E. Pataki, who each served three full terms.
She entered office in August 2021, moving up from lieutenant governor after Andrew M. Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment allegations that he denies. Her first year in office was defined by efforts to stabilize state government, which was still dealing with the pandemic and the fallout of scandals related to Mr. Cuomo.
Her election to a full term in 2022 proved to be closer than expected, leading Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, to accuse Ms. Hochul of dragging down the Democratic ticket when the party lost five House seats in the state. She struggled initially to pass big-ticket policy items related to housing and to win approval for her preferred pick for the state’s top judge.
She also drew criticism for initially withdrawing her support of congestion pricing, only to reverse her decision shortly after her election, while lowering the charge from $15 to $9 for most vehicles.
Throughout much of her first full term, Ms. Hochul, a former Erie County clerk, was viewed warily by legions of progressive voters in New York City. She began to find her footing after Mr. Trump’s re-election in 2024, when she became a vocal bulwark against Washington.
Still, faced with middling approval numbers and numerous rivals from both parties preparing to challenge her, she seemed far from certain to win a year ago. But several primary challenges from Democrats either sputtered or never materialized.
One such bid came from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, who had hoped to challenge her from the left. His campaign was undermined by Ms. Hochul’s relationship with Mr. Mamdani, who endorsed the governor last winter. Mr. Delgado dropped out after the state party convention and was replaced on the ticket with Adrienne Adams, the former speaker of the New York City Council.
Mr. Mamdani’s support followed a similar gesture from Ms. Hochul, who became one of the most prominent Democrats to endorse him during his mayoral run. Since his victory, the two have built a surprisingly fruitful governing partnership despite profound ideological differences on a number of fronts, including raising taxes and support for Israel.
Ultimately, Mr. Mamdani’s support for Ms. Hochul appeared to be crucial, helping her to excite the younger, more progressive coalition of voters that propelled his mayoral campaign to victory last year. Over the last month they appeared together repeatedly; Mr. Mamdani also filmed several videos highlighting their work together to expand child care and resolve the city’s budgetary woes.
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