City & State New YorkTier 1high

Hochul launches her first two TV ads of the cycle: a Buffalo pizzeria affordability spot and a negative ad tying Blakeman to Trump

Reported Aug 20 by City & State. Hochul's first two general-election TV ads began airing Thursday Aug 20. The first features her first job at a Buffalo pizzeria and touts universal free school meals and middle-class tax cuts; the second ties Blakeman to President Trump, who has called him "100% MAGA." The campaign describes both as part of a "multimillion dollar" buy running through Election Day on broadcast, cable, digital and streaming — no precise dollar figure disclosed, so no finance row was created. Campaign manager Preston Elliot also attacked Blakeman's use of AI in campaign material, the subject of the state Democratic Party's Aug 11 Board of Elections complaint already tracked here. The state Democratic Party is holding roughly 150 organizing events Aug 22-23 as a pre-Labor Day coordinated-campaign push.

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campaign advertising affordability Trump campaign finance

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Blakeman says he will cut utility rates in half by signing an "emergency order" lifting New York's fracking banMostly False "There were no deaths at the hands of ICE in Nassau County." — Bruce Blakeman, Capital Tonight, Aug 26, 2026Half True "Our electric bills are 70% higher than the national average." — Bruce Blakeman, Livingston County GOP rally, Avon, reported Aug 19, 2026Half True

More on campaign

City & State · Oct 3, 2026One month out, Hochul and the state Democratic Party hold more than $33M in cash; Blakeman figures for the same period not yet available Spectrum News · Oct 2, 2026Trump to campaign with Blakeman in Syracuse on Oct. 9, his first Syracuse visit as president; venue not yet announced and neither the White House nor the campaign has released details NYS Focus · Sep 30, 2026NYS Focus review finds Blakeman's matching-funds requests included more than 2,600 ineligible donations worth about $860K in potential match; the board did not answer questions about his contributions NY1 / State of Politics · Sep 30, 2026Blakeman pitches income-tax exemption for earners under $50K single / $100K joint (about $4,000 a year, paid for by redirecting immigrant and refugee aid); Hochul cites no income or corporate tax increases and her rebates

Source: City & State New York · Aug 21, 2026 · Credibility Tier 1 · Permalink https://reviewhochul.com/news/hochul-first-tv-ads-aug-2026

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