New York general election: November 3, 2026
Who is running for Governor (New York) in 2026?
Here are the candidates for Governor (New York) on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for every voter in New York.
Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.
Side by side
Each candidate's position on the issues this office handles, from their own record. Details and sources are in each profile below.
| Issue | Kathy C. HochulDemocrat | Bruce A. BlakemanRepublican |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | Raise it higher and tie it to the cost of livingOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Abortion | Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)Said · low | Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)Said · low |
| Guns | All of that, plus ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazinesOfficial action · medium | No single answer fits; see evidence |
| Immigration | No single answer fits; see evidence | Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadySaid · low |
| Energy and climate | No single answer fits; see evidence | All of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets pickSaid · low |
| School choice | No public position | Yes, but focused on low-income and special-needs studentsSaid · low |
| Housing and growth | Allow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices downOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Policing and crime | No single answer fits; see evidence | Tougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailSaid · medium |
| Election rules | Easier access: automatic registration and mail voting for anyoneOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Gender care for minors | Protect access to it by lawOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Childcare and pre-K | Guarantee low-cost childcare for all families plus universal pre-KOfficial action · high | Guarantee low-cost childcare for all families plus universal pre-KSaid · medium |
| AI regulation | Federal safety rules for powerful AI, with states free to add moreOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Kids online | Require app stores and platforms to verify age and get parental consentOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Nuclear power | Back new reactors with public funds, tax credits, and streamlined approvalsOfficial action · medium | No public position |
| Transgender athletes | No public position | No, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsOfficial action · high |
Kathy C. Hochul
Democrat · IncumbentGovernor of New York
Kathy Hochul is the 57th governor of New York and the first woman to hold the office; she was sworn in in 20213. She previously served on her local town board, as Erie County Clerk, as a member of Congress for New York's 26th District, and as lieutenant governor3. She appears on the Democratic and Working Families lines with running mate Adrienne E. Adams, a former Speaker of the New York City Council1221.
Where they stand 14 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
Childcare and pre-KGuarantee low-cost childcare for all families plus universal pre-Khigh
Official action · high confidence- Hochul announced investments toward affordable, universal child care for children under five, free child care for two-year-olds in New York City, and pre-K access for every four-year-old in the state by the 2028-29 school year. (2026-01-08) source
- Her campaign lists making universal child care a reality and delivering statewide universal pre-K among her accomplishments. (2026) source
Minimum wageRaise it higher and tie it to the cost of livingmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul announced a budget agreement raising the state minimum wage to $16 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester and $15 elsewhere in 2024, with further increases in 2025 and 2026 and yearly increases tied to inflation starting in 2027. (2023-05-03) source
GunsAll of that, plus ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazinesmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul signed a 10-bill package that requires a license to buy semiautomatic rifles and bars their purchase by anyone under 21, bans most body armor sales, expands red flag orders, and ends grandfathering of high-capacity feeding devices. (2022-06-06) source
Gender care for minorsProtect access to it by lawmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul signed a law making New York a safe haven for transgender youth by protecting their health information, shielding their doctors, and barring law enforcement from targeting them. (2023-06-25) source
AI regulationFederal safety rules for powerful AI, with states free to add moremedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul signed the RAISE Act, which requires large developers of frontier AI models to publish safety protocols and report serious incidents to the state within 72 hours, and creates a state oversight office. (2025-12-19) source
- She said the federal government is failing to put common-sense AI rules in place. (2025-12-19) source
Nuclear powerBack new reactors with public funds, tax credits, and streamlined approvalsmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul directed the state-owned New York Power Authority to develop and build a new advanced nuclear power plant in Upstate New York, the first new nuclear construction in the state in a generation. (2025-06-23) source
Kids onlineRequire app stores and platforms to verify age and get parental consentmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul signed the SAFE for Kids Act, which requires social media companies to restrict addictive feeds for users under 18, and the Child Data Protection Act, which bars collecting or selling minors' personal data without informed consent. (2024-06-20) source
Election rulesEasier access: automatic registration and mail voting for anyonemedium
Housing and growthAllow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices downmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul announced a budget agreement with incentives for affordable housing statewide, new tools for New York City to build more housing, 500 million dollars to build up to 15,000 homes on state land, and stronger tenant protections. (2024-04-23) source
AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low
Said · low confidenceImmigrationNo single answer fitsmedium
Official action · medium confidenceEnergy and climateNo single answer fitsmedium
Official action · medium confidencePolicing and crimeNo single answer fitsmedium
Official action · medium confidence- Hochul's 2024 budget gave judges more discretion to set bail for serious crimes and invested 347 million dollars in gun violence prevention. (2023-05-03) source
RedistrictingNo single answer fitslow
Said · low confidence- After the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling, Hochul said she would discuss redrawing New York's congressional maps and wants voters to have a say rather than leaving it only to the Legislature. (2026-05-05) source
No public position found on: Safety net programs, Business regulation, Healthcare, School choice, Curriculum and books, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Paid leave, Student loans, School vaccines, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.
Bruce A. Blakeman
RepublicanNassau County Executive
Bruce Blakeman has been Nassau County Executive since 2022 and won a second term in 20255. He was the Republican nominee for Congress in New York's 4th District in 20144. He appears on the Republican, Conservative and Vote Affordable lines with running mate Todd Hood, the elected Sheriff of Madison County since 20181215.
Where they stand 8 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionshigh
Official action · high confidence- As county executive, Blakeman signed an executive order barring girls' and women's teams that include transgender women from using Nassau County athletic facilities. (2024-02-22) source
- He said transgender women can play on men's or coed teams or leagues. (2024-02-22) source
- A state judge struck down the executive order in May 2024, ruling that he lacked the authority to issue it. (2024-05-10) source
Policing and crimeTougher sentences, more police funding, and stricter bailmedium
Said · medium confidence- Blakeman blamed New York's Raise the Age law and cashless bail policies for gang violence and said the problems would end under his administration. (2026-07-27) source
- His campaign says he hired hundreds of new police and law enforcement officers as county executive. (2026) source
- He said he would reject the Defund the Police agenda as governor. (2025-12) source
- Announcing his running mate, Blakeman pledged to repeal the state bail laws and back law enforcement. (2026-02) source
Childcare and pre-KGuarantee low-cost childcare for all families plus universal pre-Kmedium
Said · medium confidence- Blakeman said he strongly supports universal child care and pre-K for working parents across the state, while criticizing a plan he said would serve only New York City. (2026-01) source
Energy and climateAll of the above: oil, gas, nuclear and renewables, and let markets picklow
Said · low confidence- Blakeman said that as governor he would bring hydraulic fracturing back to New York and use natural gas to cut utility bills. (2026-06-12) source
- He pledged to renegotiate offshore wind contracts, expand domestic energy production, and eliminate energy mandates he says raise rates. (2026-02) source
- He has also said there are smart ways to expand renewable energy on brownfields, rooftops and previously developed land. (2026-01) source
ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadylow
Said · low confidence- Blakeman opposed the state ban on local police partnerships with ICE, saying the agreements help remove people charged with or convicted of violent crimes. (2026-02) source
- He said his county works with federal law enforcement, including ICE, to keep people accused or convicted of serious crimes from being released. (2026-01) source
School choiceYes, but focused on low-income and special-needs studentslow
Said · low confidence- Blakeman criticized Governor Hochul for not opting New York into a new federal tax credit program that funds scholarships for low- and middle-income K-12 students, including for tuition at Catholic schools and yeshivas. (2026-01) source
AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low
Said · low confidence- Blakeman describes himself as pro-choice and has called abortion a complicated and personal issue. (2026-01-09) source
GunsNo single answer fitslow
Said · low confidence- Blakeman has said he supports reasonable restrictions on gun ownership, including background checks, to keep guns away from criminals. (2026-01-09) source
- As county executive he said he would enforce New York's 2022 concealed carry law but was concerned it bars law-abiding people from carrying in places such as houses of worship, and hoped it would be overturned. (2022-10-13) source
No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.