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.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is touting her affordability agenda and blasting her Republican challenger in the governor's race, Bruce Blakeman, for his ties to President Donald Trump in two new campaign ads released this week.
As part of a multimillion-dollar statewide ad campaign running through Election Day, the 30-second ads titled "Every Penny" and "100%" will appear on broadcast, cable, streaming, and digital platforms, according to Hochul's campaign.
The first, "Every Penny," depicts Hochul in a pizzeria and tells the story of her first job working in one in Buffalo and how that experience
has shaped what she's done for New York in her time as governor, including tax cuts, free school meals and taking on utility companies. And the second, "100%," knocks Blakeman for his ties to Trump. Hochul doesn't make an appearance in this ad, however.
"Our campaign is taking the contrast in this election to voters' screens, doorsteps, and phones: while Governor Hochul fights for your family, Bruce Blakeman fights for Donald Trump," Hochul campaign manager Preston Elliott says.
"We're building out an organizing machine and putting in the work that will ensure New Yorkers have a Governor who understands what it means to stretch every penny and who will deliver real results to lower costs, protect our kids, and make communities safer," Elliott added.
The governor will also be hitting the campaign trail next week, according to her campaign. as part of the state Democratic Party's "coordinated campaign weekend of action" consisting of more than 150 events across New York.
Blakeman bashed one of the new ads on Thursday, asserting he "didn't raise property taxes a single penny" in Nassau County.
"When Kathy Hochul claims she cut your taxes while handing you an $8 billion tax hike, or brags about holding utility companies accountable after granting them 48 separate rate increases, her pants aren't just on fire, they're practically incinerated," Blakeman said. "It’s a classic bait-and-switch from the worst Governor in America: Hochul advertises lower costs on your television screen, but delivers higher taxes and constant rate hikes straight to your mailbox."
According to reporting by New York Daily News earlier this year, Blakeman voted to raise property taxes in Nassau County while serving on the county Legislature in both 1998 and 1999.
Blakeman campaign stops take him to Rochester, western New York
Blakeman was busy in the western part of the state earlier this week as he made several stops in both the Rochester and Buffalo areas.
On Monday, the Nassau County executive first briefly joined several lawmakers, law enforcement officials, his running mate Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood and Republican candidate for attorney general Saritha Komatireddy at the Gates Town Hall to push for the passage of a public safety measure aimed at curbing what he described as New York's "revolving door of criminality."
"When did we become a state where we put the rights of criminals ahead of victims and when we put criminals ahead of keeping safe neighborhoods," Blakeman said to a crowd of around 50 people.
Later that day, Blakeman also made appearances in East Rochester at a meet and greet event as well as an early evening rally in Livingston County.
The Republican gubernatorial candidate then spent part of Tuesday in Erie County speaking out against a push to install industrial wind turbines along the shores of Lake Erie alongside Rep. Nick Langworthy, a Republican who represents the 23rd Congressional District.
"If you look at those wind turbines there, you see that a few of them aren't even turning, some are turning very slow," Blakeman said during his visit. "They're not producing sufficient energy to keep our supply up to where it needs to be to make sure we don't have blackouts, to make sure that we can continue with economic growth."
Hochul urges reversal of Haitian TPS end; NY pledges $35 million to expand public EV charging network
Here are some additional topics related to the governor's race that the USA TODAY Network-New York has reported on this week:
- Hochul says it's 'not too late to reverse course' on Haitian TPS end
- New York pledges $35 million to expand public EV charging network
- Women 'dominate' jobs at risk of AI impacts. What NY is doing about it
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's campaign ads, Blakeman's upstate stops top NY governor's race
