{"id":99551,"date":"2026-01-14T01:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/99551\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T01:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:32:17","slug":"new-york-gov-hochul-debuts-agenda-ahead-of-contested-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/99551\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Gov. Hochul debuts agenda ahead of contested election"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) \u2014 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul used her annual State of the State address Tuesday to unveil a reelection year agenda aimed at bridging divides in the Democratic Party \u2014 moving to harness liberal anger at President Donald Trump and excitement<\/a> over Mayor Zohran Mamdani, while also tending to moderates anxious about public safety and antisemitism.<\/p>\n

Speaking to a packed crowd at The Egg, a striking domed theater near the state\u2019s ornate Capitol building, Hochul announced a slate of affordability proposals, including a plan to expand pre-kindergarten programs statewide.<\/p>\n

She also castigated the president\u2019s immigration crackdown<\/a>, saying protecting New Yorkers \u201calso means standing up to ICE agents who abuse their power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hochul, a Democrat, proposed one legal change intended to allow people to sue federal officers \u201cwhen they act outside the scope of their duties,\u201d and another intended to keep immigration agents out of schools, hospitals and houses of worship unless they have a warrant from a judge.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic safety will always come first, but it must be pursued lawfully and with humanity,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cWhen boundaries are crossed, accountability matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hochul, a centrist from Buffalo, faces challenges from both her political left and right in this year\u2019s election<\/p>\n

Republican Bruce Blakeman<\/a>, a Trump-aligned county official in New York\u2019s City\u2019s suburbs, has announced a run for governor, bashing Hochul over the state\u2019s high taxes and cost of living. <\/p>\n

After Hochul\u2019s address, Blakeman fired off his own criticism, saying: \u201cIf speeches fixed problems, New York would be thriving. Instead, families are struggling and businesses are leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, Hochul is courting support from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, in part to beat back a primary challenge from her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Delgado has assailed Hochul for months, casting her as a reactive executive unable to meet the political moment during Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n

Yet, Hochul has emerged as a potential steward of Mamdani\u2019s ambitious affordability agenda at the state Capitol.<\/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 (7 meters) of a house of worship, referencing a recent incident outside a synagogue in Queens where people chanted pro-Hamas remarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not free expression. That\u2019s harassment. And targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism,\u201d Hochul said.<\/p>\n

Hochul also vowed to protect New Yorkers from the Trump administration\u2019s changes on public health policy, saying she would ensure the state\u2019s immunization standards<\/a> \u201care set by trusted medical experts, not conspiracy theorists.\u201d <\/p>\n

Hochul\u2019s plans will be subject to negotiations with the state Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, over the coming months. She has resisted Mamdani\u2019s proposals to support some social programs by raising taxes on the state\u2019s richest residents. <\/p>\n

While Hochul was in Albany, Delgado, who the governor picked<\/a> for the position in 2022, was running counter programming, making stops along what he has called the \u201cState of the People Tour.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThis moment demands urgency, honesty, and the courage to act. New Yorkers can\u2019t afford Governor Hochul\u2019s half-measures,\u201d he said in a statement. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) \u2014 New York Gov. Kathy Hochul used her annual State of the State address Tuesday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4241,19092,1626,5287,153,416,417,426,23035,9,24,11,10,49,51,50,87,2780,423,421,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-99551","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-albany","9":"tag-antonio-delgado","10":"tag-bruce-blakeman","11":"tag-child-care","12":"tag-donald-trump","13":"tag-elections","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-kathy-hochul","16":"tag-local-news-for-apple","17":"tag-new-york","18":"tag-new-york-city","19":"tag-new-york-headlines","20":"tag-new-york-news","21":"tag-new-york-state","22":"tag-new-york-state-headlines","23":"tag-new-york-state-news","24":"tag-politics","25":"tag-taxes","26":"tag-u-s-democratic-party","27":"tag-u-s-news","28":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}