Gotham Gazette

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Kathy Hochul

Kathy Hochul

  • Hochul Previews 2019 Cuomo Administration Agenda, Defends Economic Development Programming

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    Lt. Gov. Hochul at the REDC awards (photo: the Governor's Office)


    In a recent radio interview, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul highlighted the elements of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s newly-unveiled 2019 agenda that she plans to have a significant role in passing. Hochul also discussed and defended the administration’s Regional Economic Development Council program, explained her role co-chairing the new Childcare Viability Task Force, and discussed the timetable for a statewide $15 minimum wage.

    As a guest ...

  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul on 2019 Priorities

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    December 19, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul on 2019 Priorities

    wbai 12 19 lt governor kathy hochulLieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul joined the show to discuss the Cuomo administration priorities for 2019, including which issues she plans to be most involved with, the state's

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  • Cuomo Reelected, Democrats Take the State Senate; 2018 General Election Results in New York

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    Gov. Cuomo votes (photo: @andrewcuomo)


    Democrats will take full control of New York state government in 2019 thanks to the reelection of Governor Andrew Cuomo and other candidates for statewide office, as well as wins in the state Senate that flipped control of the upper chamber. Democrats continue to hold a wide majority in the state Assembly. With help from New York, Democrats also flipped the U.S. House of Representatives.

    The state Senate and ...

  • Post-Primary Campaign Finance Filings Show Cuomo’s Already Spent $28 Million

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    Photo: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat running for reelection to a third term, successfully claimed the Democratic Party nomination earlier this month after a bitter primary battle against actor and education activist Cynthia Nixon. But the victory came at significant cost as Cuomo spent more than $20 million this year alone, nearly ten times what Nixon spent in total as she attempted to unseat him.

    Cuomo, who won with 64.4 percent of the vote to Nixon’s 34.4 percent in the September 13 primary, is headed into the

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  • A Closer Look at Democratic Primary Turnout, Margins and Geography

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    Gov. Cuomo voting in Thursday's primary (photo: @NYGovCuomo)


    The Democratic gubernatorial primary between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon saw a significant surge in voter participation, but turnout still stood at only 27 percent of active registered Democrats.

    Compared to the 2014 primary election, when Zephyr Teachout challenged Cuomo, who was then seeking a second term, turnout more than doubled, according to preliminary numbers. And, turnout spiked slightly more in New York City than elsewhere. Specifically, 28 percent of registered

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  • 2018 New York State Primary Results: Cuomo, Hochul, James Prevail While Senate Upsets Abound

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    (photo: @andrewcuomo)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo won the Democratic nomination by a wide margin Thursday, with his running-mate Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul surviving a much closer race, Public Advocate Letitia James prevailing comfortably in a crowded Attorney General primary, and more than half a dozen upsets of sitting state Senators, including six of the eight former members of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC).

    Additionally, voter turnout was significantly higher than 2014, the last gubernatorial election year, perhaps owing to the

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  • Cuomo and Hochul Win Primaries, Again Form Democratic General Election Ticket

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    Gov. Cuomo (photo: @andrewcuomo)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, won his party’s nomination for a third term on Thursday, after a bruising primary battle against actor and education activist Cynthia Nixon, who challenged him from his left. Cuomo won with about 65 percent of the vote against Nixon’s 35 percent. Joining Cuomo on the Democratic ticket is Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who won the party nomination over her own primary challenger, New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams. Hochul received 53 percent against Williams’ 47

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  • Get Ready to Vote in the Hochul-Williams Lieutenant Governor Primary

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    Jumanne Williams, left, & Kathy Hochul (photos: @JumaaneWilliams & @KathyHochul)


    New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams in January announced that he was running for lieutenant governor, posing a Democratic primary challenge to Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. While doing so, Williams took aim at both Hochul and her partner in government and running-mate, Governor Andrew Cuomo. Williams criticized from the left Cuomo’s policies and management, while saying that Hochul has done little to hold the governor accountable, and promised to if

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  • Statewide Candidates File Final Pre-Primary Campaign Finance Disclosures

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    (Photo: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)


    The primary election is next Thursday, September 13, and candidates for statewide office filed another round of campaign spending and fundraising reports this week, the final disclosures due before primary day.

    Governor Andrew Cuomo, a two-term Democrat, has been, for the most part, publicly nonchalant about his primary challenger, actor and activist Cynthia Nixon. But his campaign finance filings show he is spending far more to beat back her insurgent bid than he did four years ago,

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Final Days of the Lieutenant Governor Primary

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    September 5, 2018 - Final Days of the Lieutenant Governor Primary between Kathy Hochul & Jumaane Williams

    podcast hocul williams 277Just eight days before their Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor will (most likely) be decided by voters, incumbent Kathy Hochul and challenger Jumaane Williams joined the show

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  • WATCH: Lieutenant Governor Democratic Primary Debate Between Kathy Hochul and Jumaane Williams

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    Jumaane Williams and Kathy Hochul (Photo: MNN)


    Watch the Lieutenant Governor Democratic primary debate between incumbent Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and her challenger, City Council Member Jumaane Williams. The debate was hosted by Manhattan Neighborhood Network and moderated by Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max ahead of the September 13 primary vote.

  • Hochul Asserts Previously Unmentioned Role in Anti-Sexual Harassment Laws

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    Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (photo: The Governor's Office)


    Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday said she was “very much involved” in the recently signed laws aimed at combating sexual harassment in the workplace — a claim that comes in stark contrast to all prior indications that the legislation had been determined exclusively by four elected men and no elected women.

    “I was used as a resource, as someone who has lived this experience personally, which is why I’m so passionate about standing up for women,” Hochul said while debating her Democratic primary

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  • Hochul, Williams Outline Drastic Differences in Lieutenant Governor Debate

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    Jumaane Williams and Kathy Hochul (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams on Wednesday pledged to remake the lieutenant governor position he is seeking, as Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul defended her record and approach to the job, as well as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s tenure. The two Democrats were appearing in their only scheduled televised debate ahead of the September 13 vote.

    The 30-minute debate, hosted by Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) and moderated by Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max, aired Thursday evening on MNN, while also being live-streamed

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  • Rep. Jeffries Backs Gov. Cuomo for Reelection

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    Gov. Cuomo with Rep. Jeffries (photo via the Governor's office)


    U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a rising Congressional star and Brooklyn political power-broker, is backing Governor Andrew Cuomo for reelection.

    Jeffries, who represents the 8th Congressional District of New York, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens, sees Cuomo’s case as airtight, despite a fierce gubernatorial primary challenge being waged by actor and activist Cynthia Nixon.

    “As the governor of the state of New York, he’s done a phenomenal job over the last eight

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  • Some New York Democrats are Backing Nixon for Governor and James for Attorney General

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    Mark-Viverito & Nixon (photo: @CynthiaNixon)


    Two of the most compelling storylines of the contentious primaries playing out this election season in New York are which Democrats decide to back Cynthia Nixon in her challenge to two-term incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo and to what extent an alliance with Cuomo is to the benefit of Letitia James as she seeks to win an open, four-way primary for Attorney General.

    Loyalty and litmus tests are being taken daily by elected officials, political club members, labor leaders, and others as the September 13 primary vote approaches. As the

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  • Democratic Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor File Pre-Primary Fundraising Numbers

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    Cynthia Nixon and Council Member Jumaane Williams (photo:@CynthiaNixon)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo, a two-term Democrat, spent millions over the last month on his reelection campaign, far outpacing his Democratic primary rival, actor and education activist Cynthia Nixon, according to pre-primary campaign finance disclosures filed by candidates this week with the state Board of Elections. Cuomo’s running mate, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, overwhelmingly outraised her own primary opponent, New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams.

    Cuomo ...

  • In Wide Open Lieutenant Governor Primary, Hochul Targets Votes in Williams’ Backyard

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    Lt. Gov. Hochul, center, in Brooklyn (photo: @KathyHochul)


    Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, in campaign mode, has appeared in the Bronx and Brooklyn several times over the past few weeks. The Democratic lieutenant governor, facing a challenge from Brooklyn City Council Member Jumaane Williams as she seeks a second term, has been spending more time in New York City as primary day gets closer.

    Hochul’s focus on the city, and its communities of color in particular, are indicative of the importance of voters from the five boroughs,

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  • Statewide Candidates File July Fundraising Numbers

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    Gov. Cuomo at a funding event (photo: The Governor's Office)


    With less than two months till the September 13 primary election, candidates running for state office filed campaign financial disclosure reports with the New York State Board of Elections by the Monday deadline, showing fundraising and expenditures from a six-month period between January 16 and July 16.

    Governor Andrew Cuomo, the two-term incumbent Democrat who is running for reelection, continues to maintain an overwhelming funding advantage with more than $31 million in his campaign coffers. Cuomo

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  • Amid Primary Fights, Cuomo and Hochul Increase Frequency of Joint Governmental Events

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    Gov. Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Hochul (photo: The Governor's Office)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul have increased the frequency of their public appearances together in recent months, perhaps a reaction to the Democratic primary challenge against Hochul by City Council Member Jumaane Williams, not to mention Cynthia Nixon’s parallel attempt to unseat Cuomo.

    Between the close of state budget season at the end of March and mid-July, Cuomo and Hochul appeared together at 17 separate public government events, eight more than their nine

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  • New York Democrats’ Season of Choosing

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    Corey Johnson endorses IDC challengers (photo: Gotham Gazette)


    As progressives aggressively attempt to wrest control of the Democratic Party from the hands of those they call centrists and establishment politicians, elected Democrats across New York find themselves in an unenviable position. Abiding by their self-professed progressive values to support insurgent Democratic primary challengers could mean bucking the state party establishment and its leader, Governor Andrew Cuomo, while, on the

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  • EMILY’s List Backs Hochul for Reelection as Lieutenant Governor

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    Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (photo: Governor's Office)


    One of the country’s most powerful political organizations, EMILY’s List, has endorsed Kathy Hochul for reelection as lieutenant governor of New York.

    Hochul, a Democrat seeking a second term in the statewide position, is facing a primary challenge from New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams, with the vote just over two months away, on September 13.

    EMILY’s List is a national organization founded in 1985 to “elect pro-choice Democratic women to office” that helps recruit, train, and support female

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  • Hochul: Divided Democratic Party Only Benefits Republicans

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    Gov. Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Hochul (photo: Governor's Office)


    With the September primaries for New York state elections fast approaching, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, both Democratic incumbents, are being forced to defend their records in challenges from the left. While many other elected officials and labor unions are supporting the incumbents, a wide swath of activists that form part of the party’s base is supporting challengers to Cuomo, Hochul, and a group of state senators who, until recently, made up the rogue Democratic faction

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul

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    Ben Max, left, of Gotham Gazette, and Jarrett Murphy, right, of City Limits


    June 14, 2018 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul

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    Kathy Hochul is in the fourth year of her first term as lieutenant governor, and, running alongside Governor Andrew Cuomo, seeking another term this fall. She's facing a primary challenge, however, from City Council Member Jumaane

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  • Democratic Establishment Embraces Cuomo as Pragmatic Progressive

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    James, Cuomo, Hochul, DiNapoli (photo: @andrewcuomo)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo emerged triumphant and emboldened from the State Democratic Party’s nominating convention on Long Island, with the party’s designation in hand and embraced by top national Democrats and elected party representatives from across the state. The governor basked in the support of centrist establishment figures like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Joe Biden, while they and much of the rest of the convention sought to frame Cuomo as a

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  • Three Themes to Watch at State Democratic Convention

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    New York Democrats at the 2016 DNC (photo: New York Democratic Party)


    This year’s statewide election campaigns are in full swing, with the Democrats and Republicans hosting their nominating conventions this week. While Republicans are set to back a unified slate of candidates to avoid contested primaries, the Democratic Party finds itself in a degree of turmoil with multiple incumbents facing primary challenges from the left and a progressive base increasingly disillusioned with the state party machinery.

    As the September primary and

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