Ten months after assuming New York’s top job, Kathy Hochul is poised to easily win the Democratic nomination for a full term as governor. She had already made history as the state’s first female governor when she took over after Gov. Andrew Cuomo was forced to resign amid sexual harassment allegations.
Hochul has lapped her Democratic opponents in fundraising and polling. A month ago, she’d spent $13.1 million on the race and still had more than $18.5 million banked. Recent polling has shown her below 50 percent support with a massive lead over her two primary challengers, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Rep. Tom Suozzi.
Hochul has overwhelmed her opponents on the airwaves — more than $10.2 million according to AdImpact — while Suozzi has spent almost $5.6 million. The New York Times has described Hochul’s approach to the race as a Rose Garden strategy, focusing most on official appearances and eschewing traditional campaign stops. But that tack from the former Buffalo congresswoman has some Democrats worried she “has not built the kind of political
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.