New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is projected to win the state’s gubernatorial race, clinching a Democratic victory in what had become an unexpectedly tight race.
Hochul became the state’s first female governor in August 2021 after inheriting the seat from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned amid a growing sexual harassment scandal that threatened to turn into impeachment proceedings.
The former lieutenant governor and member of Congress assumed the governorship at a turbulent time. With just over a year remaining in Cuomo’s third term, COVID-19 cases were surging, mask and vaccine mandates were in question, and New York’s economy ― like the rest of the country’s ― needed shoring up.
Not helping matters, Cuomo publicly entertained running against Hochul in the primaries, even running ads to try to clear his name and casting himself as a victim of “political attacks.”
Hochul, a moderate Democrat from Buffalo, made abortion rights a focal point of her campaign, seeking to draw a sharp contrast with Zeldin. Though the Republican claimed he’d leave the state’s abortion laws intact if elected, he also proudly bragged about his “100 percent pro-life” voting record.
As the race grew more competitive, Hochul’s campaign pursued a different message, emphasizing public safety and highlighting Zeldin’s fealty to former president Donald Trump.
Zeldin is among the House Republicans who attempted to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory after then-President Donald Trump’s supporters violently attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The former president repaid him with an endorsement.
One week before election day, a Pix11 News/Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll showed Hochul leading Zeldin 52% to 44%, with 3% undecided.
Democratic voters outnumber Republicans two to one in the state, which hasn’t elected a Republican governor since George Pataki left office in 2007.
“There hasn’t been a seriously competitive statewide election in 20 years, and Democrats certainly in Manhattan and elsewhere have been taking November on autopilot,” Manhattan borough president Mark Levine fretted to the New York Times in October. “It’s not an exaggeration to say we can’t win statewide unless we get Democrats in Manhattan excited to vote.”