By Hank Russell
With Election Day less than two-and-a-half months away, Governor Kathy Hochul’s campaign recently came out with two new commercials, one in which she explains on how she will make New York affordable and the other tying her Republican opponent, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, to President Donald Trump, who has allowed gas, grocery and energy prices to skyrocket.
In “Every Penny,” Hochul tells the story of her first job at a Buffalo pizzeria, narrating her family’s experience stretching every penny to make ends meet and how it inspires her fight for New York families.
“When I became governor, I cut middle-class taxes, got free meals into our schools and took on utility companies raising your bills,” Hochul said. “I know what it feels like to stretch every penny, and it’s why, as your governor, your family will always be my fight.”
In the second commercial, “100%,” the Hochul campaign links Blakeman to Trump. The president calls Blakeman “100% MAGA” and shows a clip of Trump telling reporters, “He has my complete and total endorsement.” The commercial also shows Blakeman praising Trump, saying “He’s doing a great job” and calling him “the greatest president in my lifetime.”
“And Blakeman supports Trump’s policies that are raising costs on gas, groceries and healthcare in New York,” the voiceover says. “He’ll always put Trump ahead of you.”
“Our campaign is taking the contrast in this election to voters’ screens, doorsteps, and phones: while Governor Hochul fights for your family, Bruce Blakeman fights for Donald Trump,” said Preston Elliott, Hochul’s campaign manager. “We’re building out an organizing machine and putting in the work that will ensure New Yorkers have a Governor who understands what it means to stretch every penny and who will deliver real results to lower costs, protect our kids, and make communities safer.”
“Meanwhile, Bruce Blakeman is a ‘100% MAGA’ puppet who will let ICE run rampant, gut our healthcare, and raise costs on all New Yorkers,” Elliott continued. “Unlike our opponent, we don’t need to use AI or made-up attacks — these are his own real words of adoration about Donald Trump and his policies, and New Yorkers should be deeply concerned.”
Blakeman derided the commercials and said there was no truth to them.
“When Kathy Hochul claims she cut your taxes while handing you an $8 billion tax hike, or brags about holding utility companies accountable after granting them 48 separate rate increases, her pants aren’t just on fire, they’re practically incinerated,” Blakeman said. “It’s a classic bait-and-switch from the worst governor in America: Hochul advertises lower costs on your television screen, but delivers higher taxes and constant rate hikes straight to your mailbox. When I’m Governor, we are extinguishing Hochul’s endless tax hikes, and when we say tax cuts, we will mean actual savings — just like I delivered in Nassau County, where I didn’t raise property taxes a single penny.”