Political, policy issues mount for Gov. Kathy Hochul

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration is facing major challenges, both inside and outside of Albany. Her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, has decided not to run for re-election with her — a sign of friction at the top.

From the state prison issues to pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration, the issues are mounting for Hochul and her administration.

Delgado, a relatively unknown political figure in Western New York, said he will not run for re-election with Hochul next year. In a post on social media, Delgado leaves the door open for a potential run against Hochul.

“It suggests division and that’s never good for an incumbent to have division within his or her own administration that portends for trouble down the road politically,” said Carl Calabrese, a Republican political analyst.

Hochul’s office said Delgado’s responsibilities will be delegated to other people within the administration and that Hochul is seeking a new running mate.

On top of this, the governor is dealing with the state prison crisis and inflation. Downstate, she’s handling congestion pricing and what to do with New York City Mayor Eric Adams amid his federal corruption case.

“It seems like there’s a lot of things all over the state that have pushed her approval rating — we’ve seen the latest Siena polls where it’s not that good,” said Shawn Donahue, a UB professor of political science. “It’s the old saying for the governor — when it rains it pours — she’s had a lot of things that just seem to accumulate.”

The latest Siena poll early this month found 44 percent of those polled approved of the job Hochul is doing and 48 percent disapproved.

“This governor has taken on some of the toughest challenges our state has ever had,” said Jeremy Zellner, the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Committee.

Democrats defend the governor and the job she’s doing.

“She’s working to fix these challenges, she’s not running away from them and I’m proud of her,” Zellner said. “I’m proud of her not standing down from tough challenges.”

All of this is happening during state budget season, which has to be passed in April. Political observers are also waiting to see if Hochul’s former boss, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, will run for mayor of New York City.

“You also have something else that she’s very concerned about and that is the possibility that Andrew Cuomo may run for mayor of New York City, that’s another nemesis of hers,” Calabrese said.

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Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.

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