New York gubernatorial candidates Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman campaign with 1 week left before Election Day
New York's gubernatorial candidates, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Bruce Blakeman, were out campaigning Tuesday, exactly one week from Election Day.
With the clock running out, the candidates continue to pound away at each other.
On the top of the agenda for Blakeman was bashing Hochul on congestion pricing.
"She's collecting $9 per car just for the privilege of driving on this public road that the taxpayers have already paid for," he said. "It's nothing more than a tax on the middle class."
Hochul rallied with Hotel and Gaming Trades Council members in Midtown, but fired back at Blakeman on the congestion pricing issue.
"He must like a lot of traffic, higher accidents, slower response time, less money to fund the MTA and the Long Island Rail Road, and not really care about congestion," Hochul said.
Voters are already making their choices, with Early Voting off to a strong start. The New York City Board of Elections reports more than 294,000 people have already voted in the first four days of Early Voting, which ends on Sunday.
"We're looking at an 85% increase state-wide in the early voting numbers. That's incredible," said J.C. Polanco, professor of business law at Mount St. Vincent. "I mean, we're looking at numbers that we've never seen before, and we're not even five days from Election Day."
Polanco says both candidates have to now have to make a convincing closing argument.
Hochul has to run up the numbers in New York City, Polanco says.
"It's why she's with Mayor Mamdani everywhere. She's gonna lose most of those upstate counties. She has to win big in New York City," he said.
Polanco added, "Bruce Blakeman has to remind the world that he's not Donald Trump. And we try to remind New Yorkers that affordability has been an issue for a very long time and try to blame Kathy Hochul for it and see if he can win that argument among independents and in suburbs."
Hochul will be campaigning in New York City on Wednesday. Blakeman will also be on the trail.
