Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul is getting slammed in a new ad for attempting to shift focus away from her record by blaming President Trump, and by extension, her Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman.
It’s the second ad released by the super PAC Strong and Safe New York — a pro-Blakeman group bankrolled by Knicks owner James Dolan — targeting Hochul in a $1 million media campaign, running on digital and streaming platforms for multiple weeks.
The new 30-second spot features footage of the governor saying, “We have Donald Trump to deal with.”
“Kathy Hochul blames President Trump for everything,” a narrator then says. “But the president didn’t raise our energy bill 48 times — Hochul did.”
“He didn’t put illegal migrants in hotels and stick us with the bill — Hochul did,” the voiceover continues.
“The president didn’t raise taxes and tell New Yorkers to get the hell out — Hochul did,” it adds.
“We don’t need a governor who will shift the blame. We need a governor who will lead. Bruce Blakeman for New York.”
The spot counters a multi-million dollar ad offensive the Hochul campaign launched last week that links Blakeman to Trump in the race for governor of New York, describing her rival as “100% MAGA” and claiming that he’ll “always put Trump ahead of you.”
The Hochul campaign and the state Democratic Party combined have a nearly 4-to-1 financial advantage over Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, and the New York GOP, with $40 million to spend for the home stretch of the campaign.
The Dolan-backed group is trying to help level the tilted playing field to aid Blakeman leading up to the November election, in which Hochul is seeking a second full, four-year term.
A recent Siena University poll showed the gubernatorial race tightening, with Hochul leading Blakeman 49% to 39% among likely voters.
The survey also found that Trump has a 60% job disapproval rating in New York.
Hochul took over as governor in 2021 following the resignation of Andrew Cuomo. She defeated Republican Lee Zeldin, now the US Environmental Protection Agency administrator, by 6 percentage points in 2022.
“We’re doing Bruce Blakeman a favor: airing his own words that Donald Trump is ‘doing an amazing job’ after he gutted New Yorkers’ healthcare and food assistance, and amplifying Trump branding him ‘100% MAGA’ for supporting policies that raise costs on gas, groceries, and healthcare,” said Hochul campaign spokesman Ryan Radulovacki on Monday. “You’d think Bruce would want more New Yorkers to hear all that, right?”
