Hochul and Blakeman campaign across the state as early voting begins; Blakeman pitches income-tax cut, Hochul rallies in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse

Hochul voted Saturday and rallied in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. Blakeman rallied on Staten Island, citing high electric bills and saying Hochul approved 48 utility rate hikes, and proposed eliminating state income tax on the first $50,000 (single) and $100,000 (joint) of income. Early voting runs through Nov. 1; Election Day is Nov. 3. The article also cites a Republican-commissioned Buffalo-region survey, which is not logged as a poll.

Hochul campaign hits Trump and Blakeman over gas-price comments

Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki cited a Trump remark Saturday night on gas prices and earlier Blakeman statements, including an April comment calling higher gas costs short-term pain and a Sept. 23 post saying gas prices are Washington issues, not New York issues. Campaign-sourced framing.

Hochul, Blakeman make final pitch to voters as Election Day nears; Hochul campaigns with Mamdani in Brooklyn

Hochul campaigned in Brooklyn with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, stressing child care and free school meals. Blakeman, in Yorktown Heights, pledged tax cuts and expanded natural gas production to cut utility costs. Early voting continues through Nov. 1.

Blakeman attacks Hochul for allegedly not signing volunteer firefighter tax relief bill; PoliticsNY reports she signed it two days earlier

Per the PoliticsNY headline, the Blakeman campaign criticized Hochul over a volunteer firefighter tax relief bill that had in fact been signed two days earlier. Detail beyond the headline not independently read.

Blakeman uses fatal subway shooting as campaign cudgel against Hochul, NY1 reports

NY1 reports the Blakeman campaign is citing a fatal subway shooting in its public-safety attacks on Hochul. Detail beyond the headline not independently read.

Blakeman-aligned super PAC launches $750K-a-week ad attacking Hochul over $637M COVID test deal, Hoodline reports

Hoodline headline reports a pro-Blakeman super PAC ad buy of $750K a week focused on a $637M COVID test contract. Which committee is behind it was not confirmed here, so outside_spending was not changed.

Hochul campaign releases ad featuring Mayor Mamdani calling Blakeman a "bad apple"; Blakeman responds on child care, taxes and transit fares

On Oct. 15 the Hochul campaign released a roughly one-minute video in which Mayor Zohran Mamdani cuts together Blakeman clips on Medicaid, child care and ICE. The ad includes a Blakeman clip saying "We make sure we cut Medicaid in half"; the article notes that at the Oct. 13 debate Blakeman said, "I never said that I would cut Medicaid in half." Blakeman responded that he supports universal child care for working parents and criticized Hochul and Mamdani on taxes, utility costs and transit fares. amNY attributes the video to the Hochul campaign and does not name a paying committee.

Blakeman tells the New York Post he would impose a statewide ban on transgender students using girls' school bathrooms and locker rooms

FOX 5 NY's Oct. 5 election update reports Blakeman told the New York Post (Oct. 3) he would enact a statewide ban on transgender students in girls' school bathrooms and lockers if elected. The Hochul campaign's response was not captured. Relates to the open Blakeman transgender sports ban controversy.

Trump holds Blakeman campaign rally at Syracuse Oncenter on Oct. 9; Hochul spokesperson calls it "a fitting farewell" to a campaign aligned with Trump

President Trump held a midterm rally for Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman at the Oncenter in downtown Syracuse on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, with seating for several thousand. Per CNY Central's pre-event live blog, topics expected included the ICE shooting in New York City, gas prices and international conflicts. A spokesperson for Gov. Hochul responded with a statement calling the event "a fitting farewell" to a campaign that has stayed fully aligned with Trump. Rally remarks were not available to the source at the time of the cited page; speech content is not logged here.

Pro-Blakeman super PAC Strong and Safe New York launches ad alleging Hochul pay-to-play over $637M Covid test contract; reported buy is $750K a week through Nov. 3; Hochul campaign calls it a baseless attack

Per Hoodline (Oct. 7), the PAC ad targets 1M+ voters on streaming, social and video texting. The allegations are the PAC's; Hochul's office has said the 2021 purchases were needed to get rapid tests quickly and that she did not oversee procurement. Funder claims (James Dolan, Steve Wynn) in the piece are second-hand and not confirmed against a BOE filing, so outside_spending was not changed.

Actress Debra Messing attends Manhattan fundraiser for Blakeman, tells him "I am so grateful you are running" and criticizes congestion pricing; reported by the New York Post Oct. 4

Secondary report of a Post story; the fundraiser appears to have been around Oct. 1. Messing said she is backing Blakeman as "the affordable campaign."

Hochul and Blakeman campaign separately in Erie County a month out; Hochul announces free community college expansion, Seneca gaming compact talks still unresolved

Both candidates campaigned in Erie County on Oct 5 with affordability as the shared theme. Blakeman criticized Hochul on taxes, utility costs and business climate; Hochul announced an expansion of the state free community college program and tied Blakeman to Trump tariff policy. Seneca Nation protesters appeared at a Blakeman event over gaming compact talks; Hochul said negotiations continue with no agreement. Candidates debate next week (Oct 13).

Trump 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

Spectrum reports the Oct. 9 Syracuse event; VIN News, citing the NY Post, says a second source indicates more upstate stops are being considered in October.

Blakeman 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

State of Politics (Jack Arpey, Sept 29) compares the tax pitches. Blakeman says he would fund what he calls the largest income tax cut in state history by redirecting spending. Hochul says she has not raised income or corporate taxes and points to a $1,000 rebate for families with children under 4, $1B in energy rebates, a middle-class rebate, a property tax rebate and the NYC luxury second-home tax. Hochul campaign-announced figures: $8.5M raised in September, $18.5M cash on hand; state Democratic Party $15M.

Hochul says she will campaign with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at multiple events before Election Day as AOC starts a statewide tour; Blakeman says the more AOC campaigns for Hochul, the better his chances

In a WNYC interview Sept. 23, Hochul said she asked Ocasio-Cortez and others to campaign statewide. Ocasio-Cortez's tour opens in Buffalo. Newsweek separately reported Sept. 22 that Hochul asked Ocasio-Cortez for $300,000 for the Democrats' statewide coordinated campaign, with the money directed to field organizing and half reserved for Spanish-language outreach. That money went to the coordinated campaign, not Hochul's own committee.

Blakeman picks up an endorsement from former Queens Council Member Bob Holden and pitches himself as a "pro-choice Republican" Democrats can back; Hochul campaign calls the endorsement phony, noting Holden has run on the GOP line

Published Sept. 23 (7:50 PM ET), after the prior refresh window. Campaign stop at Middle Village Bagels in Queens. Blakeman repeated his claims that NY utility bills are 70% above the national average and that Hochul approved 48 rate hikes (campaign claims, not independently verified here). Holden said opposition to the Interborough Express and the housing that would come with it could be turned into Blakeman votes. Hochul spokesman Ryan Radulovacki: "earn your support, don't fake it." NY1 cites Independent Voter Project data: Democrats 47.6% vs. Republicans 22.6% of registered voters.

Hochul launches TV ad built around her one-year data center moratorium, part of a multimillion-dollar buy running through Election Day; ad says Blakeman called the moratorium "crazy"

The ad runs on cable, broadcast, digital and streaming through Nov. 3. It argues the moratorium on permits for large data centers will hold down utility bills and ties Blakeman to Trump over data center support.

Blakeman pledges to "immediately end" the HALT solitary-confinement law at a Capitol event with NYSCOPBA, then concedes a Democratic Legislature would make it a budget negotiation

At the Sept. 22 event formalizing the correction officers' union endorsement, Blakeman said he would use the governor's leverage to repeal HALT and rehire officers fired after the 2025 strike. Pressed, he said repeal would be a negotiation with Democratic leaders. Hochul's campaign pointed to ~$4B in public-safety spending and defended the firings.

Hochul tours the National Guard's Joint Task Force Empire Shield mobile command center at Grand Central and pledges to keep enhanced security at major transit hubs; her office notes last year's budget added $45M for the mission and raised the deployment to 1,050 service members

Sept. 21 late-afternoon visit with MTA Police and Guard members. Empire Shield dates to post-9/11; the release is a visibility event six weeks before the election rather than a new policy or funding action. Blakeman has run on subway safety and Hochul's 2024 Guard deployment to the subways was itself contested.

Blakeman answers the Working Families Party endorsement by calling it "the Socialist Party" and urging voters to "slam the door" on Hochul "on November 4th"; Election Day is Nov. 3, and the Hochul campaign mocked the error as the campaign having "put down the AI slop" to write its own material

Backfill (Sept. 17-19). After the WFP put Hochul and Adrienne Adams on its ballot line Sept. 16, Blakeman's campaign statement said the WFP stands for tax hikes, defunding police, ending suburban zoning and a $250K inheritance-tax threshold, and told voters to reject it "on November 4th." The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3 (early voting Oct. 24-Nov. 1). Hochul's campaign issued a release Sept. 17 pointing out the wrong date; Long Island Life & Politics (Sept. 19) carried both statements and the WFP's own platform language (child care, housing, health care, immigrant protections). The Blakeman campaign did not say whether the date was a typo. Context: WFP voters accounted for 261,323 of Hochul's 3,140,415 votes in 2022 (8.3%), per BOE results cited by LILP. Secondary source: https://lilifepolitics.com/news/politics/blakeman-hochul-accepted-endorsement-from-socialist-party/

Blakeman sits for a Rochester in Focus interview on News10NBC (WHEC), covering his 100-day plan, taxes, utility bills, fracking and green energy, immigration and law enforcement; the station says it invited both candidates and Hochul's campaign is "working to come up with a date"

On Sunday, Sept. 20, Rochester's NBC affiliate aired a special edition of its public-affairs show Rochester in Focus built around a sit-down with Bruce Blakeman. Host Lynette Adams covered his 100-day plan, cutting taxes and utility bills, agriculture and green energy, the state food supply, immigration, electricity bills, law-enforcement investment, crime and affordability. WHEC says it invited both Blakeman and Hochul to appear in person or by Zoom; Blakeman accepted, and Hochul's campaign told the station last week it is working on a date. This follows Blakeman's Sept. 18 Greece stop where he pledged to lift the fracking ban by emergency order. No transcript or new policy specifics were published in the station's write-up.

Hochul works Chappaqua Community Day six weeks out: says affordability is the top concern she hears on the trail, citing gas prices, utility bills and housing, and points to the $1B POWER rebate checks; a resident presses her to take a harder line on Mayor Mamdani over antisemitism and money in politics

On Saturday, Sept. 19, Hochul visited Chappaqua's Community Day at the train station with State Sen. Peter Harckham, New Castle Supervisor Victoria Tipp and Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins. Asked what she hears most from voters, she named affordability first ("People are just struggling with the high cost of gas at the tank"), then utility costs and housing, and pointed to the $1 billion in POWER rebate checks that begin mailing Sept. 21. Chappaqua composer-conductor Michael Shapiro approached her to say she should take a stronger position on NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, citing antisemitism and money in politics. Coverage from The Examiner News, a Westchester weekly; no statewide outlet covered the stop.

Working Families Party formally endorses Hochul and Adrienne Adams on its ballot line, seven months after its state committee passed her over in February; tally not disclosed

WFP state director Jasmine Gripper announced the endorsement Sept. 16 after a state committee vote; the party declined to give the tally. In February the committee chose a placeholder rather than endorse Hochul or then-LG Delgado (City & State reported Hochul drew 3% of the weighted vote, which WFP disputed). WFP leaders have said the delay gave them leverage on child care and immigration. Hochul will appear on both the Democratic and WFP lines; Blakeman holds the Republican and Conservative lines. Same day, Hochul defended the $1B POWER checks at a Flatbush YMCA stop: "I won't make New Yorkers wait for relief."

Hochul on NY1's Inside City Hall (Sept. 15): rejects the "buying votes" charge on the $1B POWER checks ("negotiated with the Legislature in the spring"), rules out fracking because it is "illegal under state law," calls Ortt's claim she is anti-police "false," says the data-center framework applies only after the moratorium, and puts her last call with Trump at "over a month" ago

Rush transcript posted 9:53 p.m. Sept. 15. On the POWER rebate checks (8.2M households, $100-$200, mailing from Sept. 21), Errol Louis played Blakeman's "buying votes" attack; Hochul said "I don't know what he's talking about," that the checks were negotiated in the spring budget passed in May, and that Tax and Finance had to finish STAR checks first. On energy costs she blamed an aging grid, the Indian Point closure ("25 percent of New York City's power") and the Trump administration halting offshore wind, and said she is "leaning hard into nuclear." Asked about Blakeman's call to tap the Marcellus Shale, she said "hydrofracking is illegal under state law. I plan on following state laws." On the sheriffs' 287(g) suit and Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt's press-conference claim she is anti-police, she said "it's actually false," citing "$4 billion" spent on public safety, and said Blakeman has Nassau police "going after teenagers and people going to their job at the Home Depot." She said the EO 62 Community Investment Framework is "not a modification of the moratorium," takes effect "a year from now" only for communities that want a data center, and that she has "30 applications for hyperscale data centers." She confirmed attending the Bills home opener Thursday and Belmont's opening Friday, said she last spoke with Trump "over a month" ago about Penn Station, nuclear and Haitian TPS, would not weigh in on renaming Penn Station, and listed House targets (Conley in NY-17, Gendebien in NY-21, NY-1). Balance note: the transcript is the governor's own release; Blakeman's side of the rebate and fracking arguments is captured in the Sept. 13 NY Post and Sept. 14 POWER-checks rows.

City & State: Hochul called Trump's promised $5,000-per-adult checks "a trillion-dollar campaign bribe" last week, then announced $1B in POWER rebate checks mailing before Election Day; her office says the September-October timing reflects Tax and Finance's STAR-season capacity, the same explanation given for last fall's inflation refund checks

Published Sept. 14. For the second straight year Hochul is mailing checks to 8.2 million New Yorkers (income $300K or less) in the weeks before a November election; this year's POWER checks ($100-$200, about $1B) follow last fall's inflation refunds of up to $400. On Sept. 10 Hochul had posted on X that Trump's pledge of $5,000 checks if Republicans hold the House was "a trillion-dollar campaign bribe." Spokesperson Jen Goodman said there is no comparison: "Instead of bribing the American people for votes, Trump should follow the Governor's lead and deliver immediate relief." Hochul's office attributes the timing to the Department of Taxation and Finance's pause from STAR mailings in October-November. The article notes the checks originated as an Assembly proposal (up to $500 for 5.4M households at $2.6B) that Hochul's budget broadened and cheapened, that Sen. James Skoufis's 2025 bill to bar the governor's name on checks never advanced, and that Hochul's signature is not on either year's checks. Gothamist first reported the pre-election timing in late July. Useful for a fact-check on the "buying votes" claim from both directions.

NYS Building & Construction Trades Council (235,000 members) endorses Hochul for re-election; LaBarbera cites construction, housing and energy-project policies, Hochul points to offshore wind, Gateway, upstate chips and housing

Hochul's campaign announced Sept. 10 that the New York State Building & Construction Trades Council, which it says represents more than 235,000 union construction workers, endorsed her re-election. President Gary LaBarbera credited policies expanding construction jobs, housing development and energy projects; Hochul cited offshore wind off Long Island, the Gateway Tunnel, upstate semiconductor plants and housing. The membership figure and project claims come from the campaign; no vote tally or endorsement process was described. The statewide council endorsement sits against the intra-labor split logged since June, in which individual building-trades locals (e.g., Steamfitters Local 638 on Sept. 2) have gone to Blakeman. Reported Sept. 14 by Fingerlakes1; original campaign release URL not located.

"The Cost of Bruce Blakeman" tour reaches Western New York: LG nominee Adrienne Adams, Rep. Tim Kennedy and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan launch a canvass at CWA Local 1168 headquarters in Amherst on Sept. 12, the state Democratic Committee's pitch that Blakeman's record would raise costs and property taxes

The state Democratic Committee's anti-Blakeman tour held its Western New York stop Saturday at the CWA Local 1168 hall in Amherst, Erie County. Speakers were Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Adrienne Adams, U.S. Rep. Tim Kennedy and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, joined by labor representatives. The tour's stated message is that Blakeman's policies would increase costs and property taxes; the Blakeman campaign's response, if any, was not found in coverage. Pre-event advisory: https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2026/09/08/adams-kennedy-and-ryan-to-launch-anti-blakeman-canvass-in-amherst/

NY1 on the ceremony's politics: Hochul stood with Cuomo and de Blasio, Vance embraced Giuliani and Bloomberg, 9/11 widow Terry Strada used the podium to attack Saudi protection "administration after administration," and Blakeman attended to honor his nephew, court officer Thomas Jurgens

Speeches by politicians were barred, but the ceremony still turned political through family readers: Strada called out dignitaries for protecting Saudi Arabia and asked Vance to carry the message to Trump. NY1 reports the Mamdani–Giuliani meeting after weeks of Giuliani urging the mayor to stay away, and quotes Hochul's CNN line that animosity "seems to melt away" at the reflecting pools. Blakeman's campaign said he attended to honor Senior Court Officer Thomas Jurgans, who died evacuating people from the World Trade Center. No incident or protest involving Hochul or Mamdani was reported.

Hochul's 9/11 op-ed in the New York Post: "never forget" means backing sick responders, "standing up for the police officers who protect our city when their resources are threatened," and "refusing to let this solemn anniversary become a source of division"

The governor's office reposted Hochul's New York Post op-ed on the morning of the 25th anniversary. The piece profiles four children of 9/11 victims who went into the NYPD, FDNY and nursing, and casts "never forget" as a standing obligation: health care and benefits for responders with 9/11-related illnesses, support for police "when their resources are threatened," and a refusal to let the anniversary "become a source of division." It does not name Blakeman, Mamdani or the headscarf fight, but the closing lines ("refuse to allow hatred, suspicion or division to diminish the spirit New Yorkers showed") track the language she has used against Blakeman's "Hijab Hochul" attack. Original: nypost.com/2026/09/10/opinion/new-york-must-never-forget-9-11-and-turn-sorrow-into-service/

Headscarf fight reaches Nassau town hall: Muslim residents press North Hempstead board to condemn Blakeman's "Hijab Hochul" post; three council members sign a letter, the supervisor and three others have not

At the Tuesday, Sept. 8 North Hempstead Town Board meeting, Muslim residents asked officials to condemn Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's social-media post captioned "Hijab Hochul. Kathy's Latest Costume: Whatever the Audience Wants," saying it was hurtful and fed Islamophobia. Resident Ali Mohamed asked the board's Republicans to sign a letter condemning the post; Council Members Robert Troiano Jr., Christine Liu and Mariann Dalimonte had signed the letter Troiano drafted. Speakers pressed Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Council Members Dennis Walsh, Edward Scott and Yaron Levy, who had not signed, to add their names. Per Long Island Press, Sept. 9. The controversy row "Headscarf backlash and the 9/11 25th-anniversary commemoration" remains active.

State Democratic Committee takes "The Cost of Bruce Blakeman" tour to Western New York: Adrienne Adams, Rep. Tim Kennedy and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan headline a Sept. 12 canvass launch in Amherst

The NYS Democratic Committee announced a Sept. 12 noon canvass launch in Amherst as part of its statewide "The Cost of Bruce Blakeman" tour. Listed participants: LG nominee Adrienne Adams, Rep. Tim Kennedy, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, WNY AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation president Denise Abbott and NYS AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Rev. Terrance Melvin Sr. The party's framing: Blakeman's policies would raise costs and property taxes, plus criticism of his armed provisional-deputy program and 287(g) cooperation. The advisory is paid for by the state committee and says it was not authorized by any candidate committee, which keeps the spending off the Hochul campaign's books. No Blakeman response in the advisory. Location released only to credentialed press.

Hochul calls Blakeman's escalating "Hijab Hochul" attack "reprehensible"; Blakeman doubles down citing his nephew killed on 9/11 and ties her to Mamdani and "Global Intifada"

Sept. 3: The headscarf fight moved to a third round. After Blakeman's Sept. 1 post ("Hijab Hochul. Kathy's Latest Costume: Whatever the Audience Wants"), Hochul called the attack "reprehensible." Blakeman did not back off: in a statement invoking his nephew Tommy (state court officer Thomas Jurgens), killed on 9/11 while giving first aid to a burned woman, he said Hochul "has aligned yourself with Zohran Mamdani who won't speak against 'Global Intifada' which was the goal of his murderers." The Post noted Blakeman himself wore a head covering at a Sikh event last year. Hochul's office again cited the 2022 Ronkonkoma mosque visit and Officer Didarul Islam's funeral as precedent. This is the first time either side has used "reprehensible"; it follows Hochul's Sept. 2 on-camera answer ("says more about him") and her X reply to Trump. Logged Sept. 5 (missed Sept. 3-4 runs).

Backfill: Blakeman on Newsmax tells Hochul and Mamdani to skip the 25th-anniversary Ground Zero ceremony: "Hopefully they won't go, but if they do, turn your back on them"

Aug. 31: In a Newsmax "National Report" interview, Blakeman said he sympathizes with the current and retired Port Authority officers who asked Hochul and Mayor Mamdani to stay away from the Sept. 11 Ground Zero commemoration, and that if they attend anyway, attendees should stage a peaceful protest: "Hopefully they won't go, but if they do, turn your back on them." He compared the ceremony to a wake ("If you're asked not to attend a wake, you shouldn't attend"). Blakeman was a Port Authority commissioner on 9/11 and lost his nephew, state court officer Thomas Jurgens, in the South Tower collapse; the interview extends to Hochul a "turn your back" call he had previously aimed only at Mamdani (Aug. 5). Hochul's office has said she will attend and that Muslim New Yorkers were among the first responders. Missed by prior runs; logged Sept. 5 with the Matzav write-up as the accessible source (Newsmax segment is the original).

Blakeman tells JNS he would "take action" against Mayor Mamdani over "virulent antisemitic comments," says the governor has the power; describes becoming more religiously observant

In a Sept. 1 video interview with JNS (published Sept. 1, 9:12pm), Blakeman said that as governor he would tell Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stop making what he called "virulent antisemitic comments" and, if he did not, "take action against him, which the governor has the power to do." He said that during the 2024 Columbia encampment he "would have told the mayor to take control of the situation or I would." The interview also covers his personal religious observance: a kosher kitchen, Shabbat services roughly twice a month at the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, and his wife Segal Magori Blakeman's role in that shift. Blakeman did not specify which gubernatorial power he would use against a sitting mayor; state law provides a removal process under Public Officers Law §33 but it has never been used against a NYC mayor. Fits the established pattern (JTA June 1; Crown Heights July 15) of Blakeman framing the race around Mamdani.

Steamfitters Local 638 endorses Blakeman, his campaign's latest building-trades pickup

Blakeman's campaign announced the endorsement of Steamfitters Local 638 UA, which represents welders, HVAC technicians and sprinkler fitters in NYC and Long Island. Business manager Robert "Bobby" Bartels Jr. framed it around energy bills, public safety and skilled-trades work. The announcement was a campaign press release; it did not describe the union's endorsement process or include a Hochul response, and no membership figure beyond "thousands" was given. It follows the intra-labor split logged in June–August, in which several building-trades locals broke from the AFL-CIO line on Hochul.

Backfill: Blakeman campaigns in Otsego County with running mate Todd Hood, pitching fire/EMS funding and Marcellus Shale drilling

Blakeman visited the Otsego County fire training center in Milford (Oneonta area) on Tuesday, Aug. 25, meeting emergency services personnel and filming a campaign video. He was joined by running mate Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood and comptroller candidate Joseph Hernandez, and repeated his pledge to "open up the Marcellus Shale to bring down energy costs." Notable: Hood is simultaneously a named plaintiff in Bourgault v. Hochul, the sheriffs' suit against the 287(g) ban.

Backfill: Hochul one-on-one with NBC New York; $36M victim-services money followed News 4 reporting on unexpected cuts

In a one-on-one with Melissa Russo (aired Aug. 28), Hochul discussed Blakeman and Trump's Lake Ontario renaming order. Accountability context for the tracker: NBC frames the $36M victim-services announcement as coming AFTER News 4 reported unexpected cuts that jeopardized services for crime victims and sexual assault survivors, including children — i.e., the funding restored money to programs already disrupted, rather than expanding them unprompted.

Hochul headscarf clip: office defends her as national right-wing outlets escalate ahead of 9/11 anniversary

Hochul spoke Friday, Aug. 28 at the Islamic Cultural Center School in the Bronx wearing a black headscarf. A clip posted Sunday, Aug. 30 by the "End Wokeness" X account drew 4M+ views, and Republican figures — Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), the NY Young Republican Club, Newsmax's Rob Schmitt and others — attacked her as hypocritical on feminism, with several invoking the upcoming 25th anniversary of 9/11. UPDATE Aug 31: the pile-on went national (Daily Wire, Townhall, National Pulse, Dave Rubin), and Hochul's office defended her, saying she respects 9/11 victims and their families while rejecting anti-Muslim hatred (per South Shore Press); the Islamic Cultural Center School posted that the visit was "an honor" and "meaningful recognition." Hochul previously wore a headscarf at the July 2025 funeral of slain Muslim NYPD Officer Didarul Islam. No Blakeman campaign comment found as of Aug 31. The pile-on lands as Blakeman courts outer-borough and suburban voters on public-safety themes.

Campaign week wrap: Hochul opens a Queens field office attacking Blakeman on Medicaid and data centers; Blakeman works the State Fair

NY1's week recap adds two stops not previously logged: Hochul headlined the opening of a campaign office in Jamaica, Queens, telling Democrats Blakeman "supports the cuts in Medicaid" and "data centers in every single community," while Blakeman campaigned at the State Fair Friday saying Hochul is "not backing our farmers" and calling New York "the most overtaxed state in America." Marist's Lee Miringoff frames Blakeman's Trump tightrope and Hochul's downstate-governor burden. Hochul spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika responded to Blakeman's "computer" ad: "The Governor misspoke, immediately apologized, and got back to work."

Backfill: Hochul and Kevin Bacon promote her repeal of restrictions on dancing in bars and restaurants

On Aug 28 Hochul appeared with actor Kevin Bacon to highlight her policy eliminating outdated restrictions on dancing in bars and restaurants — a Footloose-themed publicity event for a quality-of-life deregulation she has made part of her affordability-and-fun pitch in the campaign's final stretch.

Blakeman calls Trump's "Lake America" order "fun" and brushes off tariff questions while campaigning upstate

Campaigning with Onondaga County Republicans Friday, Blakeman called Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" "fun" and "not a serious thing," and declined to discuss the economic impact of the 50% Canada tariffs ("I can't say what's going on in Washington"). Republican Sen. George Borrello broke with him, calling the rename a distraction from trade issues and disrespectful of Indigenous naming; Hochul countered that a trade war with Canada means higher prices, and Gillibrand said Trump should focus on grocery costs.

Blakeman launches digital ads reviving Hochul's 2024 "Black kids ... computer" remark, calling it a racial stereotype

The Blakeman campaign launched a digital ad campaign Aug 26 targeting Hochul over her May 2024 Milken Institute remark that "young Black kids growing up in the Bronx ... don't even know what the word computer is" — a comment she said the same day she regretted ("I misspoke"). The campaign characterized the remark as a racial stereotype and said video and related material would run across major social platforms immediately. The release did not disclose the ad spend or how long the ads will run.

Hochul campaign hits Blakeman over his support for Trump's tariffs after the 50% duty on Canadian goods

Friends for Kathy Hochul issued a statement on Aug 25 attacking Blakeman for backing Trump's tariffs, arguing the 50% tariff on Canadian goods raises consumer costs and hurts the state economy, and comparing the policy to Depression-era protectionism. Spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki called Blakeman one of Trump's strongest tariff supporters. The release carried no response from Blakeman or the administration. This is a campaign statement, not an independent finding.

Hochul campaign marks five years with gun, spending and health-cost claims; no Blakeman response in the release

Campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki credited Hochul with stronger gun laws, medical-debt protections, and inflation and energy rebate checks. The campaign claims more than 10,000 illegal guns taken off New York streets and nearly $4 billion in public safety spending since 2021. The claims are campaign figures, not independently verified here. The release included no response from Blakeman.

Blakeman tells Livingston County GOP rally Hochul is "the worst governor in the United States of America"

Blakeman spoke for nearly 30 minutes to more than 120 people at the Avon Inn on Monday evening (reported Aug 19), hosted by the Livingston County Republican Committee alongside Rep. Claudia Tenney, Sen. Pamela Helming and Assemblywoman Andrea Bailey. He tied Hochul to Mayor Mamdani ("Comrade Kathy"), called New York 50th of 50 in economic outlook and "the most overtaxed state," said electric bills run 70 percent above the national average because of a "green energy scam," and called the ban on extracting Southern Tier natural gas "a crime," recounting Trump telling him "drill, baby, drill." He also criticized cashless bail, sanctuary policies, and S.9316's gender-neutral parentage language. The reporter noted Blakeman never used the word "affordable" though it was printed on his podium sign.

Blakeman calls farmland solar "a total scam" at Batavia stop, urges drilling New York natural gas

At an Aug 16 GLOW-region stop at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Ag Education Center in Batavia (reported Aug 19), Blakeman called utility-scale solar on farmland "a total scam," alleging out-of-state and foreign developers collect subsidies while donating to Hochul, and said New York should extract its own natural gas reserves instead. He also claimed New York electric bills run 70 percent above the national average across 48 rate increases under Hochul, and that the state spends about $8 billion on services for people in the country illegally, roughly $81,000 per person. Both figures are fact-checked separately. He pledged not to forget upstate regions and pointed to his 12-point 2025 Nassau reelection in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 110,000.

Safer Streets: Hochul and NYPD Commissioner Tisch tout record crime reductions in NYC public housing

Hochul appeared with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Aug 18 to highlight what the state and city describe as record-breaking crime reductions in public housing developments and citywide. Comes four days after President Trump campaigned with Blakeman on crime at the Nassau police academy.

Blakeman campaigns in Orleans County with running mate Todd Hood: New York is "in a death spiral"

Blakeman made two Orleans County stops on Sunday, Aug 16, with Assemblyman Steve Hawley and running mate Todd Hood, the Madison County sheriff, attacking Hochul on taxes, utility bills and what he called socialist policy. Hood's own sheriff's office dropped its 287(g) ICE agreement two days later.

Blakeman disputes Siena poll showing Hochul up 10, calls race "neck and neck"

A day after Siena's first likely-voter poll put Hochul ahead 49-39, Blakeman rejected the result, saying "all of the polls we have seen in the last two months have us virtually tied with Kathy Hochul" and hitting Hochul on taxes, electric bills and crime. No public poll in that window shows a tie; the closest, a Red Oak Strategic poll commissioned by the pro-Blakeman Strong and Safe super PAC, showed Hochul up 4.

Blakeman leans on Trump playbook to energize upstate Republicans, rallying with Constantino at Great Sacandaga Lake

Dog days on the trail: Hochul pushes $120 child food benefit on Lower East Side as Blakeman courts Flushing business leaders

Both candidates worked NYC on Aug 11. At Grand Street Settlement on the Lower East Side, Hochul urged eligible families to apply for the $120-per-child Summer EBT food benefit before its Sept 8 deadline. Blakeman met business leaders in Flushing, Queens, and previewed Trump's Friday Nassau visit, saying the president "wants to honor our police officers, our deputy sheriffs, our corrections officers." Under three months to Election Day.

Blakeman takes radiation fight to Town of Niagara, accuses Hochul of "hands-off" response to contaminated properties

Campaigning Saturday with the grassroots group Save Our Backyards Niagara, Blakeman accused Hochul of failing to "take charge" of the radioactive-contamination issue affecting homeowners on Chester and Fox avenues in the Town of Niagara. Second WNY environmental attack stop in a week after the Catskills solar event; Hochul's office had previously demanded the EPA speed its Niagara-Erie radiological review (July), saying no acute risks were found.

Blakeman takes campaign national on Sunday Morning Futures, contrasting NY and Florida budgets

Blakeman appeared on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures (Aug 9), arguing Hochul has made a "far-left pivot," comparing New York's budget unfavorably with Florida's, and pointing to progressive influence in state politics. A national Sunday-show hit aimed at Republican donors and base voters; no new policy proposals were announced.

Blakeman takes "green energy scam" attack to the Catskills, targeting 1,200-acre solar project

Blakeman rallied at Forestburgh town hall (Jul 30) against RWE's proposed Town Line Solar project — 200MW solar plus 100MW battery storage across 1,200+ acres in Thompson and Forestburgh — calling state renewable siting "Kathy Hochul's scam on all the ratepayers" and pledging "I will end the green energy scam" as governor. Joined by Sen. Peter Oberacker and Assemblymember Chris Tague. He attacked ORES as state "big-footing" of local communities. RWE spokesperson countered that the project meets growing electricity demand and brings tens of millions in local tax revenue. Backfilled from Jul 31 Radio Catskill report; makes utility-scale solar siting an explicit general-election issue.

Blakeman calls Kalshi lawsuit "hypocritical," says Hochul walked away from deal he pegs at $10B over five years

Campaigning in Albany Aug. 5, Blakeman attacked the state's lawsuit against prediction-market platform Kalshi, arguing Hochul should have accepted a proposed settlement — a 6% tax on prediction-market trades that, per Wall Street Journal reporting cited by Blakeman, could have generated $10B over five years. He called the suit hypocritical given last year's casino approvals and framed prediction markets as personal choice. Hochul's office responded that Kalshi "blatantly violated state law," put consumers including minors at risk, and that "weak attempts to self-regulate are meaningless." The suit seeks fines and restitution that could total $36B.

Blakeman blocked from speaking at Dominican Day Parade; organizers cite his ties to Trump

Blakeman was barred from speaking at the Dominican Day Parade, with organizers citing his representation of Trump's agenda, per the NY Post (Jul 27). Backfilled from prior window: the incident became one of the two examples Blakeman's campaign cites as evidence of Democratic "cheating" in the governor's race.

Blakeman attacks Hochul for praising Bragg after she suggests he could one day be U.S. attorney general

Speaking Sunday Jul 26 at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, Hochul praised Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and — after briefly misspeaking "AG" for "DA" — said he could one day become U.S. attorney general. Blakeman called Bragg "the most soft-on-crime DA in the state," saying under him "violent offenders get charges knocked down" and "repeat criminals walk free." Hochul's team stood by the remarks. Bragg prosecuted the Trump hush-money case; crime framing is central to Blakeman's campaign.

Blakeman attacks Hochul and Mamdani over "inheritance tax," says family homes and farms could be forced into sale

In a Sunday X post with video, Blakeman claimed Hochul and NYC Mayor Mamdani "want to increase the number of people subject to an inheritance tax," arguing family farms, businesses and homes would have to be sold to pay it, and pledged to "stop it" as governor. The post does not cite a specific Hochul proposal; New York levies an estate tax (not an inheritance tax), and no current Hochul proposal to expand it was identified in the article or accessible reporting.

Blakeman calls for statewide halt on battery storage facilities, citing East Hampton fire

Blakeman called Jul 23 for an immediate statewide halt to battery storage facilities until regulators can guarantee safety, tying it to an East Hampton battery fire and alleging PFAS-contaminated runoff reached groundwater. His campaign release asserted independent testing found PFAS but published no test results. He accused the Hochul administration of withholding information about the incident, cited Niagara County radioactive waste and the Bethpage Grumman plume as state failures, and repeated his pledge to cut utility bills in half without explaining how.

Six months out from the next executive budget, Hochul and Blakeman preview competing fiscal approaches

A Jul 23 NYSOP analysis frames the race around the FY2028 budget: phased-in federal H.R. 1 changes will hit Medicaid eligibility (recertification burdens; ~400,000 already dropped from the expanded Essential Plan) and shift SNAP costs to the state. Hochul told Spectrum her strategy is trimming "bloated" Medicaid spending, claiming the CDPAP transition "saved over two billion dollars." Blakeman: "We don't have a revenue problem... we have a spending problem," pledging to cut fraud, taxes and utility bills. CBC's Andrew Rein warned vague cuts won't solve out-year gaps; FPI's Emily Eisner said new revenue would be required to shore up coverage. Neither candidate backs income-tax hikes.

Blakeman vows to reverse New York's all-electric buildings law and restore natural gas in new construction

Blakeman called the state's all-electric mandate for most new buildings "unscientific" and "unaffordable," arguing it raises housing costs and that the grid can't handle the added demand, and pledged to reverse the natural-gas restrictions if elected. The law, phasing in over the coming years under the CLCPA framework Hochul backs, targets one of the state's largest emissions sources. The vow puts the in-progress All-Electric Buildings Act promise squarely on the November ballot, alongside his earlier pledges to rescind the data-center moratorium and cap-and-invest.

Hochul rolls out nearly 100 Albany County endorsements as Tonko casts Blakeman as a "mini-Trump"; Blakeman hammers energy costs

Hochul's campaign rolled out endorsements from nearly 100 Albany County elected officials Friday, including Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs and County Executive Dan McCoy, at an event tying Blakeman to Trump — Rep. Paul Tonko called him a "mini-Trump" and cited his tariff support and White House Rose Garden appearance. Blakeman, who appeared with construction leaders earlier in the week, countered that Hochul's energy mandates force families to pay "up to 70% more for electricity" and pledged to "scrap this green energy scam" and bring back natural gas. Hochul appears with AG Letitia James and union leaders in Manhattan Saturday.

Blakeman tours Crown Heights with GOP officials, campaigns on antisemitism concerns

The Crown Heights Republican Committee hosted Blakeman for a neighborhood tour and discussion focused on rising antisemitic incidents and Jewish community concerns, joined by Republican elected officials from Jewish communities statewide — part of his outreach in heavily Democratic Brooklyn.