NEW YORK (WABC) — Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman campaigned in separate appearances Sunday, offering sharply different visions for New York as voters prepare for early voting and Election Day.

Hochul visited Concourse Village in the Bronx, where she highlighted policies including a ban on cell phones in schools and expanded access to community college and child care. The governor said those priorities are rooted in her own experiences.

“I knew what it was like to struggle, not having child care. That’s why as governor, when I’m focusing on your family as my fight and we’re going to have child care for everybody, this was a personal fight because I knew what it was like not to have it,” Hochul said.

Meanwhile, Blakeman campaigned in Elmont on Long Island alongside Lee Zeldin, whom Hochul narrowly defeated in the 2022 gubernatorial election.

Zeldin later became administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Trump administration.

While Hochul did not mention Blakeman during her Bronx appearance, supporters said a major challenge for Democrats in the borough is voter turnout.

“I’m counting on all of you,” Hochul told attendees.

Matilda Lorraine Outlaw, a Bronx state committee member representing the 79th Assembly District, said increasing participation is a key goal.

“The Bronx has a very low rate of voting. And we’re really just trying to get out to vote so we can see the difference and make the change.”

Blakeman focused his campaign message on affordability and the state’s economic outlook, arguing that New Yorkers are leaving because of high costs.

“Businesses are leaving, hundreds of thousands of people last year, hundreds of thousands of jobs left. We’re number 50 in economic outlook. So, I think people want a more affordable state. And Kathy Hochul is the one that is solely responsible for making it unaffordable. I will cut taxes. I will cut utility rates,” said Blakeman.

The candidates also offered competing assessments of New York’s economy.

“We are now the fastest growing economy in America. New York State. Number one. Just announced last week,” Hochul said.

The issue of affordability was also highlighted during the candidates’ recent televised debate. Hochul linked rising costs to national and international issues, while Blakeman pointed to state policies.

Asked about the impact of global events on fuel prices, Blakeman said:

“Here’s what I support. I support Iran never getting nuclear capability. I can definitely relate to people with respect to the cost of gasoline, but Kathy Hochul’s own state Energy Research Department said that under her policies, our utility bills are going to go up 4-thousand dollars more a year over the next five years.”

As early voting approaches, both campaigns are seeking to persuade voters that their plans would better address the rising cost of living.

Hochul is scheduled to return to the Bronx on Monday for an announcement with city officials regarding additional child-care slots for 2-year-olds. Blakeman is also expected to be in New York City this week for a question-and-answer event at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.

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