New York Governor's Race This Week is a weekly column by USA TODAY Network-New York reporters highlighting aspects of the 2026 campaign to lead the Empire State.
With less than two weeks until Election Day, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman is using Albany's recent commuter tax push as another attack on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Albany's Common Council passed a resolution that asks the state Legislature to allow the city to tax the earnings of nonresidents who work within Albany's city limits. According to the measure, the city sees a "massive influx of nonresident workers every workday" that benefit from city services without contributing to the funding of them through annual property taxes.
The proposal asserts the tax would
open a new revenue stream for the city by increasing city revenues "at a time of grave financial uncertainty, helping (Mayor Dorcey) Applyrs administration in its efforts to close the existing fiscal gap." City Auditor Sam Fein says a 0.25% tax rate could bring in $15.7 million annually and a 0.45% tax rate option could bring in $28.2 million per year.
However, the measure would require both the state Legislature and Hochul to give their approval.
Blakeman warned New Yorkers in a social media post on Tuesday, Oct. 20, that the governor is supportive of the capital city's commuter tax proposal.
"Kathy Hochul approved the NYC Commuter Tax (after promising to stop it) and now she's ready to support the Albany Common Council's plan to impose a new commuter tax on those who work in the city of Albany but live outside the city," the post reads.
"I will STOP this insane tax! History shows you all you need to know about Kathy Hochul and her support for commuter taxes," Blakeman added.
Albany's proposed tax has received a swift and mostly negative response from state lawmakers, however, including from Hochul, who said it's "not happening" in an X post later that same day.
The only other city in New York that currently has something similar to a commuter tax is Yonkers, which is what Fein says the city of Albany is drawing from for their proposed measure. New York City previously had a similar measure in place called a non-resident earnings tax, but it ended in 1999.
The Big Apple's congestion pricing program, which went into effect in January 2025 and charges drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, is often referred to as a commuter tax by those who oppose it.
New Quinnipiac poll reveals 14-point Hochul lead
A newly released poll by Quinnipiac University puts Hochul 14 percentage points over Blakeman; a narrowing of five points since the school's September survey results.
Published on Wednesday, Oct. 21, a poll of more than 1,000 likely New York voters conducted between Oct. 15-19 reveals a 55-41% spread in favor of the Democratic incumbent, with 4% choosing neither candidate. Quinnipiac's September 23 poll had Hochul up by 19 points, 58-39%.
The governor's favorability changed slightly between the two surveys — 45-46% in the most recent October polling and 46-43% in last month's poll — while her Republican challenger became more well known by voters. In September's results, Blakeman's favorability was 30-36% with 34% not having heard enough about him. In Wednesday's poll results, the Nassau County executive's favorability improved to 36-40% with a lower 23% not having heard enough about him.
"As Republican Bruce Blakeman becomes better known, he's improved his image among independents," says Quinnipiac University poll assistant director Mary Snow. "But with less than two weeks to go until the final votes are cast, he faces an uphill battle as Hochul maintains a double-digit lead."
The most important issues among the likely voters who responded to the poll are the cost of living, 22%, the economy, 19%, and immigration, 13%. Hochul leads Blakeman among voters who say the cost of living and the economy are the most important issues, while Blakeman leads Hochul in the immigration category.
According to the poll results, Hochul currently has a job approval rating of 49-45%.
Hochul campaign touts 'record breaking' final pre-election campaign finances filing
Hochul's campaign and the New York State Democratic Party combined have a record $22 million cash on hand — more than $12.3 million and $9.5 million, respectively —heading into the final weeks of the election cycle, the governor's campaign reported on Wednesday.
More than $4.2 million was raised in the October filing period, according to Hochul's campaign, with $1 million for Hochul's re-election and boosting the Democratic Party's fund more than $3 million. A record 9,959 individual donors with an average online donation of $23 was made this filing period, her campaign added.
"After another record-breaking filing period, Governor Hochul has made sure voters in every corner of New York will hear our message in the next 13 days," says Preston Elliott, Friends for Kathy Hochul campaign manager.
Last month's filing revealed Hochul added more than $2.6 million to her campaign since July and gave a more than $5.9 million boost to the state's Democratic Party, according to her campaign. Blakeman's campaign, however, reported spending nearly $10.5 million between July and the end of September. After starting the period with $4.3 million, the difference left Blakeman with just over $177,900.
"While Bruce Blakeman is running low on cash and reasons to elect him, Governor Hochul has equipped Democrats to blanket voters' screens, doors and mailboxes so that we can take back the House and elect Democrats up and down the ballot on November 3," Elliott added.
The deadline for the 11 day pre-general election campaign finance filing is Friday, Oct. 23. Blakeman's campaign has yet to share their latest campaign finances and did not immediately respond to the USA TODAY Network's request for comment on the matter.
New Hochul ad attacks Blakeman over Medicaid cuts
The newest advertisement in the Hochul campaign's multimillion-dollar statewide ad campaign arsenal highlights a comment previously made by Blakeman about Medicaid costs in New York.
Released on Tuesday, "Wrecking Ball" features testimony from emergency physician "Dr. Abraham," who warns that cuts to Medicaid, which Hochul's Republican challenger acknowledged his support of earlier in his campaign, would negatively affect his patients. The 30-second ad, which will appear on broadcast, cable, streaming, and digital platforms through Nov. 3, also continues the governor's campaign's efforts to tie Blakeman to President Donald Trump.
"Bruce Blakeman's pledge to 'cut Medicaid in half' is a slap in the face to New Yorkers, and every doctor, nurse and healthcare worker agrees," Hochul campaign communications director Sarafina Chitika said. "Our families deserve better than a Trump puppet who would take a wrecking ball to their healthcare and raise their costs."
During the Oct. 13 debate between the two candidates, Blakeman denied saying that.
"Let me be clear: I never said that I would cut Medicaid in half," the Nassau County executive stressed. "What I did say is that the Medicaid cost to the taxpayers of New York state are more than Texas and Florida, combined."
As of 2024, New York's total Medicaid spending was at more than $96 billion, while Florida and Texas' combined total spending amounted to more than $86.5 billion, according to health policy organization KFF. And the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services put Medicaid spending per resident at nearly $5,000 in 2024, according to the Empire Center, a conservative Albany-based think tank. Florida and Texas' combined Medicaid spending per resident that same year equaled just more than $3,000.
New York had nearly 7 million residents enrolled in Medicaid as of July 2024, while both Florida and Texas had just more than 4 million enrollees each, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported.
Blakeman takes credit for Hochul signing volunteer firefighter tax credit increase
On Monday, Oct. 19, in a since deleted social media post, Blakeman bashed Hochul for not signing an increased tax credit for the state's volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers, saying the governor "turns her back" on those who run into burning buildings and keep New York's communities safe.
Hochul, however, had already signed the legislation on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Blakeman's hometown of Nassau County.
When asked about the legislation on Fox 5's Good Day New York two days after his erroneous post, Blakeman asserted he was the reason Hochul signed the bill.
"I urged her to do it and she didn't sign it until I said this bill has been sitting there on your desk for three years, sign it," Blakeman said. "And that's when she signed it."
The bill, which increases the annual personal income tax credit from $200 to $800 for individuals and from $400 to $1,600 for married couples, was only passed by both houses earlier this year.
While the original version of the bill that landed on Hochul's desk in May allowed those eligible to receive both the tax credit and a property tax exemption, a chapter amendment approved by the state Legislature modified the final version signed by the governor. The governor's office says the change was made to maintain consistency with an existing law from 2007, which required a choice between the two, referring to them as "duplicative tax benefits."
"The volunteer firefighter and ambulance workforce has declined substantially in the 20 years since this law was first enacted," the governor's Oct. 16 approval memo states. "The state thus needs to respond in a manner that fosters growth in the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers in order to maintain and enhance public safety, while minimizing the impact on the state's financial plan."
Eligible New Yorkers will be able to claim the quadrupled benefit when filing their taxes in 2028 for tax year 2027.
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers' taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hochul leads in poll, Blakeman attacks commuter tax in governor's race
