Her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, has positioned himself as the savior of a state he says is overrun by crime and sky-high taxes<\/a>.<\/p>\n The race, and Hochul\u2019s possible margin of victory, will be closely watched by Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> and his team as they prepare to push the next governor to raise taxes on the wealthy to fund housing and childcare in New York City.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Both candidates spent the weekend on the stump, criss-crossing the state to urge voters to the polls.<\/p>\n Blakeman campaigned throughout the city and Long Island, telling supporters at a rally Saturday in Middle Village in Queens that \u201chelp is on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like a winner,\u201d he told The City Reporter about the days heading up to Tuesday\u2019s election.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul was joined by top Democrats including Mayor Mamdani, who accompanied her at the Queens Night Market on Saturday and watched a Buffalo Bills game at an Astoria bar on Sunday, alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The governor was confident that she\u2019d sail to victory on Tuesday, just like her beloved Bills.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re focusing on affordability and what we can do to help lift up New Yorkers, that is the message that is resonating,\u201d Hochul said during the game.<\/p>\n Late Polls Boost Hochul<\/p>\n A late October poll by Marist University<\/a> found Hochul was up 11 points against Blakeman, with 4 percent of voters undecided. A Siena University poll<\/a> had Hochul up 14 points.<\/p>\n The biggest issue for voters is the economy and cost of living, according to an October Quinnipiac University poll<\/a>. That\u2019s shown in ads from both of the candidates, with Blakeman focusing on increases under Hochul.\u00a0<\/p>\n At Blakeman\u2019s rally Saturday in Middle Village, U.S. Army soldier Juan Nieves, 32, said his top priority was safety. <\/p>\n \u201cI you don\u2019t have law and order, we would have nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Peter Kauffmann, a Democratic strategist, said Hochul\u2019s re-election campaign was notably stronger than her 2022 effort, and with more emphasis on voter concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to see that she\u2019s actually responding to issues that people care about, she seems really focused,\u201d he told The City Reporter.<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s relationship with Mamdani has also energized her campaign and voters, even if Blakeman has tried to use it against his opponent.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think they will continue to govern well with one another,\u201d Kauffmann said.<\/p>\n State Attorney General Letitia James<\/a> is also up for re-election, and has been challenged by Republican Saritha Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recent polling showed James up by at least 15 percentage points.<\/p>\n The state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli<\/a> also faces Republican Joseph Hernandez, who ran for New York City mayor last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n New York City voters will also decide on five ballot proposals<\/a> that the mayor says will, if passed, cut bureaucracy around how the city builds bike and bus lanes, contracts with small businesses and sells and leases some properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n Democrats across the country are hoping to reclaim the House of Representatives and the Senate with pivotal races in states like Texas, Maine and Michigan. The issues nationally match those in New York City: the rising cost of living, which is felt acutely in the five boroughs.<\/p>\n If Democrats prevail nationally, two Brooklynites could wind up running Congress: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. (New York City\u2019s House races were largely decided in the June Democratic primary. Schumer and Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand are not up for reelection this year.)\u00a0<\/p>\n A recent AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll<\/a> found just 25% of polled adults approved of how President Donald Trump<\/a> was handling the economy<\/a> \u2014 down from 32% in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n L. Joy Williams, the president of the New York State NAACP Conference of Branches, said affordability is the biggest issue \u201cacross the board.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it matters in terms of race, ethnicity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/AP26305796990001.jpg\")
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez watch the Buffalo Bills play the Baltimore Ravens on TV at a bar in Astoria, Nov. 1, 2026. Credit: Dave Sanders\/Pool The New York T<\/p>\n![\"Democratic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/governors_race.jpg\")
Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman face off in the only scheduled debate ahead of the general election, Oct. 13, 2026. Credit: Anna Connors\/Pool The New York Times via AP<\/p>\n![\"Gov.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/102326_hochul_campaigning.jpg\")
Gov. Kathy Hochul takes pictures with supporters during a campaign stop in Brooklyn, Oct. 23, 2026. Credit: AP Photo\/Yuki Iwamura<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/AP26283107230374.jpg\")
President Donald Trump greets Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at a campaign rally at the Oncenter, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in Syracuse. Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP<\/p>\n