As Nation Trends Right, Hochul Endorses Communist

Advisors surround New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Consulting from either Washington, D.C., or Albany are Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, Chief of Staff Stacy Lynch, State Inspector General Lucy Lang, and a host of other highly paid officials. Her husband Bill knows his way around politics and should have good insights. He holds a BA from Notre Dame, a JD from the University of Buffalo, and from 2010 to 2016 served as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. Yet none of them said, "Kathy, don't go to the Ryder Cup. You will not be welcome."

Had Hochul heeded this hypothetical advice, she would have avoided the sustained, vigorous booing she received when she showed up. The next day, President Trump's appearance rubbed salt into Hochul's open wounds. The crowd chanted "USA" and "Donald Trump"—grating noise to Hochul's ears.

Either Hochul's advisors are worthless, her political instincts are terrible, or both. Long Island, site of the Ryder Cup, is Trump country. Nassau and Suffolk County voters shifted hard toward Trump, part of a statewide trend. Trump's 2024 performance at New York's statewide ballot box was the best showing by a GOP candidate since 1992, mirroring national trends as he improved on his 2020 margins in 90% of American counties.

In a New York Times op-ed, Hochul endorsed New York mayoral Democratic Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, a commendation that hurts her, especially in the suburbs where she is most vulnerable. Mamdani's platform of free services, defunding the police, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and establishing city-run grocery stores does not play well among working-class voters. At the same time, her Mamdani endorsement does nothing for her in Manhattan, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 8-1. The governor is facing a primary challenge from Delgado and U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a favorite among Jewish voters. If she survives—the likely outcome—Hochul's probable GOP opponent will be U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Going into the 2026 election, Hochul has several advantages but also faces strong headwinds. First, she is a Democrat in a blue state that has not elected a Republican to statewide office since Gov. George Pataki won reelection to his third term in 2002. Second, the governor is an incumbent. Third, she is an accomplished fundraiser who raised over $50 million in connection with her 2022 gubernatorial campaign and who—as of January 2025—had already raised $15.5 million in anticipation of the 2026 election.

Despite these advantages, Hochul is in trouble. While the governor is a well-funded incumbent, she is unpopular, as her Ryder Cup incident proved. A recent Marist poll found that Hochul's approval rating is 39%, derived from the following data: 32% of New Yorkers say they plan to leave the state within the next five years; 46% disapprove of Gov. Hochul's job performance; 53% believe the governor is not a good leader; 57%—including 40% of Democrats—do not want Hochul to seek reelection next year; and 60% of New Yorkers say New York is headed in the wrong direction.

Just 24 hours after Hochul gave Mamdani a boost, he refused to return the favor. "Mamdani refuses to support Kathy Hochul less than 24 hours after she endorsed him!" Stefanik said in a statement on X. Hochul faces two major challenges. First, she has few if any successes to point to. Second, Stefanik will be a tenacious, tireless adversary. During a nationally televised congressional hearing, Stefanik displayed the fire that brought down Harvard and University of Pennsylvania presidents over their toleration of anti-Israel protests on their campuses. Hochul and her thin resume will have her hands full with the fiery Stefanik.

As they head to the polling place, voters will question Hochul's blessing of Mamdani and wonder if it represents future self-serving choices she might make. Why, voters will ask, with the political world around her veering right, would Hochul endorse a hardcore socialist? Hochul's ill-advised NYT op-ed proves she cares more about election outcomes than the voters who elect her.

Joe Guzzardi is an Institute for Sound Public Policy analyst. Contact him at jguzzardi@ifspp.org