Gov. Kathy Hochul made one last Halloween-weekend campaign stop in Brooklyn on Saturday, joining Assembly Member Robert Carroll at Windsor Terrace’s annual East Fourth Street block party just days before Election Day.

The incumbent Democrat handed out candy to local trick-or-treaters while making one more push to connect with voters ahead of Nov. 3. Hochul is facing Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, in her bid for another term.

Hochul received a warm welcome from children and parents, who proudly introduced their little ones to the governor. Several attendees told Hochul they had already voted for her during the early-voting period.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Member Robert Carroll greeted young trick-or-treaters and handed out candy at Windsor Terrace’s annual Halloween block party on East Fourth Street.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Member Robert Carroll greeted young trick-or-treaters and handed out candy at Windsor Terrace’s annual Halloween block party on East Fourth Street.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

With the New York City Marathon set for Sunday, Hochul drew her own comparison to the race ahead of Election Day. She told Brooklyn Paper that she has participated in 16 campaigns and has never seen such enthusiasm, calling early-voting turnout “unprecedented.” Nearly 1.7 million New Yorkers cast ballots during early voting, about 567,000 more than four years ago. Nearly 700,000 of those votes were cast in New York City, with Brooklyn once again leading early voting turnout. 

“This is my own athletic competition. I’m like an athlete,” she said. “This marathon’s over. Now we sprint to the finish line.”

Hochul said voters have thanked her for initiatives and legislation enacted under her administration, including the school cellphone ban, expanded free child care, universal free school meals and investments in the MTA.

“Now that we’ve had time in office, one term, people are starting to feel the effects and the benefits of the policies that I fought so hard for,” she said. “So that’s really reassuring to me to know that we’re on the right path.”

Hochul, a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan, traded her campaign attire for cat ears at the block party, though she told Brooklyn Paper she planned to celebrate Halloween in her favorite costume: a Buffalo Bills outfit made from team attire she already had in her closet. 

“I just pulled a uniform out I usually wear on a Sunday,” she said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Member Robert Carroll greeted young trick-or-treaters and handed out candy at Windsor Terrace’s annual Halloween block party on East Fourth Street.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Member Robert Carroll greeted young trick-or-treaters and handed out candy at Windsor Terrace’s annual Halloween block party on East Fourth Street.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

And, like many parents, she also set aside her favorite candy from her kids’ trick-or-treat haul.

“I made them set aside the Kit Kats and Twix for me every year. That’s just how it goes,” Hochul said. “If you want your mom to be happy with you, you’ve got to give them your candy first.”

Carroll predicted that Hochul would win “big” on Tuesday, saying she deserved the victory.

“She has her pulse on the issues that actually matter to everyday New Yorkers, and she cares deeply about connecting our communities, whether they be downstate, upstate, or anywhere in between, and making sure that we all rise together,” he explained. “She and I have worked on so many key issues, from literacy to trying to bring the Winter Olympics to New York City and Lake Placid and everything in between.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Member Robert Carroll greeted young trick-or-treaters and handed out candy at Windsor Terrace’s annual Halloween block party on East Fourth Street.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Member Robert Carroll posed with a local Halloween reveler dressed as FBI Director Kash Patel during Windsor Terrace’s annual Halloween block party.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

He was also confident that Democrats would pick up seats not only in New York but across the country, taking back control of the House and Senate.

Meanwhile, in Park Slope, Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 10th Congressional District, participated in the annual Park Slope Civic Council Children’s Halloween Parade.

“Halloween tonight, the marathon tomorrow, Election Day on Tuesday. Civic Brooklyn energy just doesn’t get any better,” Lander told Brooklyn Paper.

Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 10th Congressional District, dressed as a house for this year’s Park Slope Civic Council Children’s Halloween Parade, a playful nod to his expected victory in Tuesday’s election. As state comptroller, Lander had made an annual tradition of dressing as a video game controller.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

He attributed the high early-voting turnout to people being “hungry” for change and something better after years of what he described as Trump’s corruption and corroding humanity.

“What’s important is that we win with a big majority, and then that we get busy, like fighting for working people, holding Trump and his cronies accountable, and showing we can make life betterl

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor, made a campaign stop in Dyker Heights on Oct. 24 as he seeks to unseat Gov. Kathy Hochul.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Meanwhile, Blakeman was also on the campaign trail Saturday, making stops across Queens and Manhattan as he continued his push to unseat Hochul.

The Republican nominee had campaigned in Brooklyn the previous weekend, stopping in Dyker Heights on Oct. 24 alongside Republican representatives, including U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and state Assembly Member Steve Chan, as well as members of several Republican clubs.

Blakeman stood in the backyard of the Sheridan Council #908 Knights Of Columbus, where he criticized Hochul’s handling of affordability and public safety, calling her “the worst Governor in New York State history.”

The candidate spent the afternoon promoting his proposed tax cuts, claiming they could save families between $2,000 and $7,000 annually, while accusing Hochul of failing to keep New Yorkers safe and criticizing her approach to immigration and criminal justice.

“We need to make sure our communities are safe,” Blakeman said.

Campaign flyers and American flags lined the fences of a Dyker Heights backyard where Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and his team rallied supporters during a campaign stop last weekend. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell Campaign flyers and American flags lined the fences of a Dyker Heights backyard where Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman and his team rallied supporters during a campaign stop last weekend. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Malliotakis, who is facing her own reelection challenge from Democratic candidate Mike DeCillis, urged New Yorkers to support Blakeman, criticizing Hochul’s handling of taxes, public safety and her relationship with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“If you’re sick and tired of high taxes and lawlessness, if you’re sick and tired of Kathy Hochul’s destructive policies and pushing the socialist agenda with Zohran Mamdani, we have the opportunity to change the course of this state by voting Bruce Blakeman as governor,” Malliotakis said.

U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis urged New Yorkers to vote for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, while facing her own reelection challenge from Democrat Mike DeCillis.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Pointing to a slate of campaign posters for other Republican candidates, the pol stood with Blakeman in a video posted to X, declaring: “Every single voter who wants common sense, whether you’re a Republican, independent or Democrat, vote Bruce Blakeman and our team.”

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and polls across New York will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Not sure where to cast your ballot? Find your assigned polling place using the New York State Board of Elections’ voter lookup tool or the NYC Board of Elections’ poll site finder. For a full rundown of the candidates and races on the ballot in Brooklyn, check out the Brooklyn Paper’s 2026 general election voter’s guide.

With reporting by Lloyd Mitchell