While she never mentioned President-elect Donald Trump by name, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday addressed head on the cost-of-living and public safety concerns that helped propel him back to the White House.
As I wrote last week, the Democratic governor’s fourth State of the State address marked her clearest opportunity to chart a new course. With her job approval rating underwater and rivals from both parties circling, the moment also presented a key test: Can Hochul dig her way out of a political rut before a 2026 re-election campaign?
“This may be the last, best chance for her to dramatically turn things around,” said Lawrence Levy, a longtime political observer and executive dean of Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies. “What she says that connects to the typical voter who has drifted away from the Democratic Party because of crime and the economy can begin the process of repairing her political problems.”
The speech was organized around the pillars of affordability and public safety. The highlights were proposals for an income-tax cut (along with already-announced rebates) and state money to post police officers on every New York City subway train running overnight. My public media colleague Jeongyoon Han is a radio ace who delivered this report.
Hochul spoke for almost an hour in the main theater of The Egg, a Brutalist saucer which crowns the Empire State Plaza. (As a local I’ve been going since I was a kid, but this video by We Might be Giants is now all I can think of when I pass through the ovular lobby.)
It’s a new venue for her; she gave her last three State of the State addresses in the state Assembly chamber. The move allowed for more people to attend, and it let Hochul turn a staid speech into a multi-media presentation.
Attendees sat through a 45-minute pre-show, which included the Albany High School marching band, a Gospel choir, several prayers and an over-40 dance troupe. Hochul played video clips and slides while she stood at the lectern, borrowing from the last guy.
Hochul maintained a slow cadence and there were few laugh lines. Many of the marquee policies, like tax rebate checks and universal school meals, had been previously announced. I didn’t feel like the speech built toward any single big moment or had a particular arc.
The governor hammered the theme of being “a fighter” for families, and wove her own life story into many parts of the policy cornucopia – like when she announced an environmental initiative after seeing dead fish at the beach during her girlhood.
The anonymous assessments were lukewarm. I heard words like “fine,” and “predictable” from Democrats who have sat through more than a dozen such presentations. But few legislators quibbled with the focus.
“We've got a lot of challenges ahead to find consensus and to find the money for these things,” state Sen. Shelley Mayer, a Democrat from Yonkers, told me. “But it was an excellent start with her commitment to making sure New Yorkers feel heard and that their concerns are addressed.”
Reinforcing that connection will be crucial as Hochul prepares to stand for reelection next year. There are already potential challengers in both parties taking shots at her proposals.
“Taking thousands of dollars out of New Yorkers’ left pocket and putting $500 dollars in their right pocket is not a tax cut,” GOP Rep. Mike Lawler said in a prebuttal speech at the Capitol. “It’s an insult, and it’s precisely why millions of New Yorkers have headed towards the exits.”
State Assemblymember David Weprin, a Democrat from Queens, said the next few months will be critical to see if Hochul can improve her standing in polls, which show her underwater. He said the speech was a good start.
“It certainly went a long way towards that,” said Weprin. “But she still has a ways to go.”
VROOM: I got quite a response to last week’s newsletter, including many stories from readers who drove their cars to high mileage. Thanks to everyone who shared them!
THE QUESTION: The Bills play the Baltimore Ravens tonight. Which former Baltimore resident inspired the team’s name?
Know the answer? Drop me a line at jimmy.vielkind@gmail.com. Or just write with thoughts, feedback or to say hi.
THE LAST ANSWER: The Buffalo Bills last played in the Super Bowl in 1994 (for the 1993 season), when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys. It was Buffalo’s fourth consecutive Super Bowl loss.