By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE<\/p>\n
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) \u2014 Ahead of a tough reelection fight, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled an agenda aimed at bridging the divides in the Democratic Party \u2014 moving to fight President Donald Trump and capture progressive excitement<\/a> surrounding Mayor Zohran Mamdani, while also tending to anxiety among moderates about public safety and protests outside synagogues. <\/p>\n In most states, governors use their annual State of the State<\/a> addresses to detail their upcoming legislative plans for the year, boosting their own records while charting a path ahead. <\/p>\n For Hochul, however, her speech this year carried additional significance, as the centrist from Buffalo faces challenges from both her political left and right in a heavily contested election cycle.<\/p>\n Her own second-in-command, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado<\/a>, has assailed her for months and launched an unusual primary challenge against his boss, casting Hochul as a reactive executive unable to meet the political moment during Trump\u2019s second term. Republican Bruce Blakeman<\/a>, a Trump-aligned county official in New York\u2019s City\u2019s suburbs, has also announced a run for governor, bashing Hochul over the state\u2019s high taxes and cost of living. <\/p>\n At the same time, the governor is under mounting pressure from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to help steward Mamdani\u2019s ambitious agenda at the state Capitol and raise taxes on the state\u2019s richest residents. <\/p>\n Hochul appeared aware of the rocky political terrain during her State of the State, announcing a slate of affordability proposals, pledging additional public safety programs as well as a raft of proposals meant to counter the Republican president\u2019s agenda. <\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s one thing I know, it\u2019s that when New Yorkers move forward with strength and compassion side by side there is no challenge we cannot meet, no tyrant we cannot beat and no future we cannot build,\u201d she told a packed crowd at The Egg, a striking domed theater near the state\u2019s ornate Capitol building.<\/p>\n Child care \u2014 a signature priority for Mamdani \u2014 was also at the top of Hochul\u2019s list, with the governor reiterating plans to set up a child care program for 2-year-olds in New York City, along with a wider plan to establish a universal pre-K program throughout the state by 2028. <\/p>\n Mamdani, who was seated near the stage, rose to applaud Hochul\u2019s child care plan. The rest of the room followed, delivering her a standing ovation. Amid the clapping, the governor added: \u201cRepublicans have kids, too, you can stand.\u201d <\/p>\n Hochul then turned to crime, promising to continue enhanced police patrols on the city\u2019s subways and expand the use of mental health teams throughout the transit system. <\/p>\n She also proposed a ban on protests within 25 feet of a house of worship, referencing a recent incident outside a synagogue in Queens where people chanted pro-Hamas remarks, with Hochul saying: \u201cThat\u2019s not free expression. That\u2019s harassment. And targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism.\u201d <\/p>\n Hochul wove heavy criticism for the federal government and Trump into her speech, at one point saying that she would ensure New York\u2019s immunization standards<\/a> \u201care set by trusted medical experts, not conspiracy theorists.\u201d <\/p>\n The governor debuted two proposals centered on the president\u2019s immigration crackdown<\/a> \u2014 one that would allow people to sue federal officers \u201cwhen they act outside the scope of their duties,\u201d and another to ensure sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals and houses of worship can be \u201cprotected from civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cPublic safety will always come first, but it must be pursued lawfully and with humanity,\u201d Hochul said. <\/p>\n Her plans will be subject to negotiations with the state Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, over the coming months. <\/p>\n