Gov. Kathy Hochul won a convincing victory over Republican rival Bruce Blakeman by 20 points. She raised $89 million and flipped suburban support, yet she remains out of the 2028 presidential discourse. Instead, she said she is more interested in winning a third full term and building a New York legacy.
Gov. Kathy Hochul scored a convincing victory over her Republican rival, the kind of win that can get people talking about higher office. But few are talking, not even her.
On the surface, Gov. Kathy Hochul's re-election victory in New York checked all of the relevant boxes.
She crushed her Republican challenger, the Nassau County executive, Bruce Blakeman, by 20 points, tripling her victory margin four years ago. She flipped a narrative that the Democrats had lost control of the suburbs -- winning even in Nassau, Mr. Blakeman's home turf.
She further stamped herself as a prodigious fund-raiser, raising $89 million for herself and her party. And she did it all as a moderate who had won over key leaders on the left, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who both joined her at a bar last weekend to watch her beloved Buffalo Bills at a campaign-style event.
Yet as Democratic leaders discuss potential options for the 2028 presidential election, the governor of New York -- a position that often carries higher ambitions -- has been largely left out of the discourse.
In public and private conversations, Ms. Hochul seems more interested in winning a third full term four years from now, and building a legacy in New York.
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