Previously Published in The Messenger
Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D-Hamburg) 2026 State of the State Address was, not to our surprise, underwhelming and mostly rhetorical.
For New York, the stakes could not be higher. The Empire State has led the country in net out-migration, boasts some of the highest costs of living and utility bills in the country, pushes out business and entrepreneurship, while tying up governmental officials and employees on all branches of government due to its tortuous and dogmatic rulebook.
But we find that Hochul had a hint of something else in her speech: desperation.
We’ve regularly opined that this year’s gubernatorial election would be the marquee race of the 2026 midterms, not only in terms of New York ostensibly shifting into battleground territory, but also because of the ramifications of poor progressive policy mixed with the recent doubling-down with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria).
While the national environment might insulate Hochul, her favorability and approval rating numbers are stabilized. While her numbers are far from excellent, incumbent governors who register numbers that are at least marginally above water are generally difficult to defeat for re-election.
Yet, it seems from her address that Hochul couldn’t figure out the best direction as her party’s top standard bearer in New York, so her solution was to play all sides so she can come out on top.
Let’s dig into the wild-card initiatives, in which much was said, but with little value.
Where Hochul Gets it Right
The first is her plan to overhaul the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process, a lengthy and laborious process that many on both sides of the aisle frequently hail as one of the top inhibitors of progress. From infrastructure to new developments, from re-developments to basic services, the SEQRA study is required in almost every circumstance.
Hochul correctly classified the SEQRA process as wrought with “unnecessary red tape” that has held up desperately needed new housing options and critical infrastructure upgrades and replacements.
SEQRA was enacted about fifty years ago and its primary function was to ensure that new developments do not negatively impact the surrounding environment. Since then, however, the law’s oversight has overlapped into other jurisdictions, and the growing bureaucracy in Albany is only an insult to injury.
We think overhauling SEQRA is a great start to cut red tape and unleash new projects with consideration to proper environmental controls and studies, of course.
There’s only one catch to this proposal: ensuring Hochul doesn’t try to make amendments to give the State more authority over local zoning laws. Her plan in 2022 to override local control to pave the way for new housing, for which Long Island would have footed a disproportionate amount, was rightly criticized on both sides of the aisle. Localities not only rightly deserve the home rule entrusted to them through local charters, but local officials and residents know their communities’ needs, limits, and characters best. Time will tell how genuine Hochul is acting on this one, but at face value, we’re on board with the pitch.
We’re also in favor of a remake of the Jamaica LIRR station. Hochul is aiming to revamp LIRR, NYC subway, and JFK AirTrain connections. While Jamaica operates fairly smoothly for a mass transit hub, there’s certainly room for improvement. The bunching up of trains trying to platform makes for unpredictable delays that can impede city plans and delay travelers heading to the airport.
The Governor also wants to expand autonomous vehicle testing outside New York City. We’re not necessarily opposed to that idea at face value; we think New York being a testing ground for emerging technology is a good initiative. Our concern with this one is the bigger picture of self-driving vehicles and the safety risks they might pose on open roads of the rest of the state. If experiments start out limited in scope and are relatively contained, it could strike a decent balance to attract some tech jobs and talent to stem population loss.
Finally, Hochul is looking to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) in how it’s accessed by minors on social media – a solid move – and prohibit political candidates from making “deepfakes” of their opponents. We also find the latter a good effort, especially since it’s inevitable that these “deepfakes” will be used to incriminate and slander where no wrong has been done.
Where Hochul Gets It Wrong
Unfortunately, Hochul got it wrong more than she did correct in her speech. And while it seems we have more to say on the good than the bad, the reality is, the bad is much, much more impactful than the good can be.
First, Hochul failed to address sorely-needed criminal justice reform. In 2026, we find it unfathomable that bail reform didn’t come up as a kitchen table issue in this address. Hochul had staked her reputation and political power on holding the line on the Executive Budget in previous years on getting those commonsense changes, only for progressives to take their dollies and go home. With no bargaining power and a Legislature that doesn’t respect her, it’s a loss every time.
Hochul seems to have given up on it. Time will tell if she commits to governing like the moderate she so desperately wants to be, but for now, we’re not holding our breath. Not only do all New Yorkers need a better justice system, but crime victims are antagonized, while criminals are coddled.
Hochul’s landmark promise on crime is to limit the 3D printing of firearms. We’re not necessarily opposed to that, although we think there’s room for nuance there. We also think Hochul is deliberately burying the lede to appeal to the anti-gun wing of her party instead of addressing the elephant in the room with broader criminal justice failures.
While her plan to increase funding for NYPD subway patrols by $77 million is enough to campaign on “funding the police,” it seems like an intentional obfuscation of the bigger problem: crime is out of control and it won’t be under control until the laws are addressed and local adjudication is restored. That money could certainly remain with the NYPD, but resources are sparse as the State continues to spend at record levels. Fixing the problem at the start is the commonsense solution, not putting a Band-Aid over a crack in the Hoover Dam. A separate, much smaller dam could probably use that Band-Aid anyhow.
The Governor also brought back one of her pet projects since she assumed office almost five years ago – making the state a hub for semiconductor manufacturing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, especially as the U.S. and China are locked in a cold war where that type of technology will determine the winner.
However, Hochul has failed to address the power grid in New York State. While she’s recently been more receptive to natural gas pipelines, Hochul has an antiquated grid and aging power stations to tend to. The type of manufacturing she correctly wants to attract to the state cannot operate with our current setup. Instead, Hochul has doubled down on nuclear – not a problem in and of itself – but her previous one gigawatt of nuclear power within the next fifteen years was already panned as wishful thinking, especially when cheaper and easier alternatives can ease us into an energy surplus for the time being.
Now, Hochul is asking for five gigawatts of nuclear power. Again, we’re not opposed to nuclear power in terms of efficiency, but once again, Albany puts the generator before the horse. This type of backwards thinking will only impede our nation’s standing on the semiconductor front, despite Hochul’s intentions being, we think, correct and genuine on the manufacturing front.
The Governor also stands in lock step with Mayor Mamdani on the universal Pre-K frontier, but tens of thousands of extra kids in day care means a massive bill footed by the State government. While it makes sense to sweeten the pot for families to stay here and move here, the price tag doesn’t seem worth the gamble. Something, something, standing in a bucket and lifting yourself up by the handle…
That move, we think, is telling the progressives who could run her out of town on a rail that she’s down with at least some of their prerogatives.
Finally, Hochul gets it wrong on immigration. New York’s sanctuary state and city policies need to end cold turkey, not be bolstered by prohibiting local law enforcement from working with federal ICE agents. Whether or not a municipality opts to is entirely up to them. We think local control is the answer, not the perpetuation of a system that’s cost New York billions upon billions over the last few years – billions that perhaps could have gone to her other ambitious endeavors.
Here’s the Count
Hochul seems like she’s trying to appease all wings of the party and all voters. Progressives could have a reason to fault her for lack of progress in NYC if she reins in Mamdani, but she’ll erase her modest gains among moderates and Independents if she tries to appease the true powerbrokers in Albany. The Governor seems afraid to take risks and rocking the boat, opting for the least controversial, yet equally least effective, plan for 2026.