Incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman debated in the Spectrum News NY1 newsroom in the debate for Governor on Tuesday. During the debate they clashed over immigration enforcement, crime, utility costs, and other issues facing New Yorkers during their only debate of the gubernatorial campaign.
The Democratic governor and Nassau County executive repeatedly traded accusations over their records and policies, with Hochul frequently criticizing President Donald Trump’s influence on New York and Blakeman seeking to hold the governor responsible for the state’s challenges.
Immigration enforcement was a major point of contention, with Hochul criticizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Nassau County and Blakeman defending local cooperation with federal authorities. “ICE is out of control, it’s out of control in Nassau County,” Hochul said.
Blakeman blamed the governor’s sanctuary policies for the enforcement actions.
“Kathy, it never would have happened but for your sanctuary policy,” he said.
Hochul also recounted the case of an 11-year-old boy whose father was detained by Nassau County police while going to a Home Depot. “Tell that to 11-year-old Norman who sobbed in my arms when local police, Nassau police, took his father when he was just going to a Home Depot, for God’s sakes, and his father was sitting for months and months in a detention center,” Hochul said.
Blakeman countered by citing two women murdered in his county by people he described as undocumented immigrants. “How about two 30-year-old women murdered by illegal migrants in my county? What do you say to their families?” he asked.
The candidates also clashed over utility costs, with Blakeman blaming Hochul for rising rates and bills. “Donald Trump didn’t raise utility rates 48 times, you did,” Blakeman said. “Donald Trump didn’t increase our utility bills by 50% since you’ve become governor.” Hochul said Trump was standing in the way of New York’s energy projects. “I’ve got Donald Trump standing in the way of my energy projects,” she said.
On crime, Blakeman criticized the state’s cashless bail policies and other criminal justice reforms, pointing to retailers that keep products behind locked glass cases. “In Kathy Hochul’s world, you got to ring a buzzer, a store clerk has to come out, unlock a glass door for you to buy a bottle of shampoo in New York state,” Blakeman said. “It’s because we have a revolving door of criminality, cashless bail, raise the age, the whole deck.”
Hochul defended her administration’s approach, saying her government had taken action to address gun violence and retail theft. “When I became governor, it was gun crime that was skyrocketing, we tackled that. Retail theft— I gave millions of dollars to our district attorneys to change the laws and give them what they need to be able to reduce those crimes,” she said.
The candidates also disagreed over the financial health of New York’s farms, with Hochul blaming Trump’s tariffs for increasing the cost of supplies, including fertilizer, aluminum and wood shavings used in animal stalls. Blakeman argued that farmers had been criticizing Hochul’s policies even before Trump imposed the tariffs. Hochul rejected that criticism, saying farmers were doing well.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also came up during a question about a New York Times report that Blakeman had told Hasidic Jewish leaders that Hochul and Mamdani would fail to stop riots in their community. Blakeman criticized the mayor’s views and values. “If you wanna campaign with him, that’s fine, but I will tell you right now, I think Zohran Mamdani is an antisemite, I believe he’s anti-Christian and I don’t think he has American values,” Blakeman said.
Hochul did not defend Mamdani directly. Instead, she defended the NYPD and Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “I support the leadership of Jessica Tisch, but for you to say they would stand down is just insulting to all those men and women,” Hochul said.
The debate was the only scheduled face-to-face meeting between the candidates before Election Day. Early voting for the general election starts Saturday, Oct. 24, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3..
To view the full debate please click here.
To read the full article recapping the debate please click here.