Kathy Hochul re-elected as New York state Governor, defeating Long Island’s Bruce Blakeman

Democrat Kathy Hochul was re-elected as governor. Hochul attained the position in 2021 following the resignation of then Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The 57th governor of New York and the state's first female governor, she was elected to a four year term in 2022.

She defeated challenger Republican Bruce Blakeman, who serves as Nassau County executive. A central part of Hochul’s campaign was her opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies and plan to defend New Yorkers against “MAGA extremism,” a platform that Blakeman wholly embraced.

New York Attorney General Letitia James and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli have won re-election over Republican challengers.

As governor, Hochul introduced several policies that impacted the daily lives of Long Island residents, from the ban on student cellphone use during school hours to lowering costs for New Yorkers. Her campaign highlighted the inflation refund checks sent to more than 8 million residents, an expanded child tax credit and middle-class tax cuts as measures she aimed at easing household expenses.

During her campaign, Hochul made several stops on Long Island, speaking to local community members about the issues important to them. 

In September Hochul met with Elmont’s Haitian community, during which she discussed her efforts to help Haitians with temporary protected status access legal services, health care and more. “I wanted to talk to this community, primarily Haitian, to let them know that I am supporting them 100 percent,” she told the Herald. “I am appalled by Donald Trump's cruel policy against people who are here legally with temporary protected status, like the Haitians. … [T]o be deporting them violates everything that we stand on. So I wanted to tell the community that I'm fighting for them.” 

Hochul also helped secure $25 million in Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment Grant Program distributed to 65 volunteer fire departments and districts across New York, including several on Long Island. She announced the available funds during a visit to Glen Cove’s fire department, which received $287,324 to help replace aging radios.

Hochul played a major role in securing funding for the newly renovated Belmont Park, which re-opened to the public just two months ago as the grandstand continues to undergo a transformation that is expected to be completed in early 2027. 

“This project is more than simply rebuilding a racetrack — it’s creating jobs, boosting our economy and ensuring Belmont remains a world-class destination,” she said at the 2025 topping out ceremony. “This redevelopment means thousands of good-paying union jobs, new opportunities for local businesses and a facility that will attract visitors from around the world.”

In his concession speech Blakeman said "you win some, you lose some."

"I just got off the phone with Governor Hochul," he said. "I told her that she ran a great race, and now the race is over. The election's over, so we all have to unify and work together and make for a better state of New York."