Hochul, Blakeman start making their final arguments before last weekend of Early Voting

With Early Voting ending on Sunday, the candidates for New York governor started making their final arguments Friday, hoping to convince voters throughout the state to turn out for them.

When you come down to the final days of any campaign, the candidates tend to fall back on their talking points, and Friday was no exception for Republican Bruce Blakeman and Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

At an early morning campaign stop in Brooklyn, Hochul shook hands, posed for selfies and continued slamming Blakeman for his close relationship with President Donald Trump.

"People are energized to get out and vote. They know how important it is to really reject the negativity of what Bruce Blakeman is talking about. He wants to bring Trump-style leadership to New York, and that is just abhorrent to all of us. We're not going to let that happen," Hochul said. "So voters are rising up. They're voting in record numbers, and you look at the Early Voting tolls compared to 2025 or 2024."

In an appearance on this week's episode of "The Point," the governor also weighed in on an issue that has sparked petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures over the years: can the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge go back to being the Tappan Zee Bridge?

"You know, I have a lot of respect for Mario Cuomo. I used to help on his elections," Hochul said. "He was a leader for our time back when he gave such beautiful oratory, and I don't have any intention of changing that."

Meanwhile, Blakeman, who is also the Nassau County executive, swore in a new crop of Nassau Police recruits, which was county business but also showed off his desire to be seen as the public safety candidate.

He also signed a pledge promising not to raise taxes if he is elected.

"This state is one of the least affordable states in the United States of America. Under Kathy Hochul, we're the highest tax state in America, the highest. It's a badge of shame," Blakeman said. "Under Kathy Hochul, our utility bills are 70% higher than the national average. People are choking on their electric bills here in New York state, and we are last, dead last, in economic outlook. That means we're not creating jobs, we're not creating prosperity. Businesses are moving out. People are moving out of our state."

There are two more days of Early Voting before Election Day on Tuesday. By all accounts, there has been a record turnout for Early Voting.

In addition to the statewide races, all members of the Senate and Assembly are up for election, and there are key battleground races for Congress that could help flip control of the House.