NEW YORK (WABC) — Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman, offered competing visions Monday on child care and public safety as the race for governor played out in New York City.
Hochul appeared with Mayor Mamdani in the Bronx before a crowd of cheering parents as they announced a major expansion of the city’s child care program, adding slots for 10,000 2-year-olds in the Bronx and Staten Island.
“This is what government is all about — helping our people, lifting us up, supporting our kids, supporting our families!” Hochul said.
The governor said the effort would extend beyond New York City.
“We’re just getting warmed up, my friends. This was a huge commitment, but we’re doing it statewide,” Hochul said.
While Hochul was speaking, Blakeman rode the subway and held a news conference in Midtown Manhattan at the scene of a fatal shooting that occurred over the weekend. He criticized Hochul and Mamdani over subway safety.
“Crime in the subways has gone up under Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani. They are not committed to public safety. I will be committed to public safety. I will make sure that our public transportation is safer and cleaner for the traveling public,” Blakeman said.
Major crime in the transit system is up by just under 2% so far this year, but it remains the second-safest year in the past 15 years. Hochul has also provided funding for 300 officers to patrol the subways overnight.
Blakeman also criticized the governor’s child care initiatives, saying he favors using tax credits.
“Listen, I think childcare is very important, but I want childcare for people who work. And I think the best way to do that is to give them a tax credit,” Blakeman said.
Mamdani called Blakeman’s position outrageous.
“He looks at a program like universal child care and says that it’s a reward for lazy parents who are going to sit at home and watch The View. That’s — the idea that parents are lazy. I do not even know how you can come to justify that, when you look at all that’s required to raise a child in this city,” Mamdani said.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.