Kathy Hochul has been re-elected governor of New York for another four-year term. The 68-year-old Democrat is the first woman elected to the office, and her victory keeps the state under Democratic leadership, a pattern that has lasted nearly two decades. The election took place on Tuesday, Nov. 3, during the U.S. midterms.
Hochul, a lawyer, became governor in 2021 after her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, resigned amid numerous sexual harassment allegations. She won election the following year with 53% of the vote. Polls had placed her comfortably ahead of Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, the 71-year-old head of Nassau County’s administration.
Hochul received backing from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Both are democratic socialists whose politics are to the left of the governor’s, and the report describes significant differences between them and Hochul. The last Republican elected governor of New York was in 2002.
The state’s Democratic dominance is concentrated in densely populated counties, including Manhattan, which has 1.6 million residents. New York State has a population of 20 million, while more rural counties typically vote Republican. In the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris won 56.4% of the state’s vote and received one million more votes there than Donald Trump.
The cost of living was a leading concern for voters. Hochul’s critics have questioned her management of public finances, pointing to a 40% rise in the state budget during her governorship, to $269 billion in 2026. She also backed Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax, an annual surcharge on high-end properties worth more than $5 million that are used as second homes and are vacant for much of the year.
Public health is another challenge. New York declared a public health emergency this year over a measles outbreak. At least 178 cases have been confirmed, and on Monday, Nov. 2, the first death from the disease in 30 years was confirmed: a child. The report links the return of measles to opposition to vaccines, which has been supported by, among others, members of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Immigration is also on Hochul’s agenda. She has pledged to protect New Yorkers from actions by ICE, the federal immigration agency responsible for mass arrests and deportations. The report notes, however, that the pledge may not apply equally across the state: in September, the Trump administration announced record numbers of immigrant detentions in New York.
Sources: Folha Mundo.