Hochul and Blakeman trade blows over ICE, costs, and Trump in their only NY governor debate

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman met Tuesday night for their only debate of the campaign — a tightly structured, 60-minute exchange on NY1 that looked, according to NBC New York, 'similar to a tennis match,' with each candidate serving up practiced attack lines from behind their podiums and little in the way of surprises.

The debate was moderated by political anchors Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter and broadcast on NY1 and other Spectrum News channels statewide, along with their YouTube pages. It is the lone scheduled face-off before the Nov. 3 election, now three weeks away, with early voting beginning Oct. 24.

The opening segment was the sharpest. A recent ICE shooting in the Bronx set the tone immediately, with Hochul going on offense.

ICE is out of control. It’s out of control in Nassau County.— Gov. Kathy Hochul

The reason that happened is because of you, Kathy Hochul, and your immigration policies. Kathy Hochul appealed to ICE to let this criminal out. The question is: What was this guy doing in New York in the first place? It's because Kathy Hochul has made us a sanctuary state.— Bruce Blakeman, Nassau County Executive

Hochul responded by accusing Blakeman of refusing to condemn the shooting, saying he basically indicated he would be fine if ICE agents shoot into cars. Blakeman referred to the man shot, 25-year-old Oscar Belgal, as a 'gangbanger.' Hochul fired back with her own position: 'I said New York is not a sanctuary for criminals.'

The candidates then moved to the cost of living — the other central battleground of the race. Blakeman blamed Hochul directly for rising utility bills.

Kathy, Donald Trump didn’t raise utility bills 48 times. You did.— Bruce Blakeman

Hochul blamed rising gasoline and energy costs on the war with Iran and President Trump, and touted her administration's expansion of childcare subsidies and energy rebate checks sent directly to New Yorkers. She also took aim at Blakeman for not standing up against Trump's tariffs on international trade, according to Gothamist.

The Trump question hung over the entire debate. Hochul has blanketed the airwaves with ads linking Blakeman to the president, whose job approval rating stands at 39% in New York state in a recent Marist University poll. She pressed the point directly.

Just four days ago, you stood on a stage screaming at the top of your lungs 'We love Donald Trump!' Which is it that makes him so great? The high utility costs? Is it his unfettered use of ICE to terrorize New Yorkers?— Gov. Kathy Hochul

Blakeman did not deny Trump's endorsement, calling the president a 'friend,' but sought distance on at least one issue — labeling himself pro-choice, in contrast to Trump's pro-life stance. He also cited support from liberal Democrats, including Bonnie Lautenberg and actor Debra Messing. Hochul was unmoved: 'You got two votes, good for you.'

Blakeman's counter-strategy — tying Hochul to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and frequent target of conservative attacks — arrived later in the debate than it typically does on the campaign trail, according to NBC New York. When Blakeman finally deployed it, Hochul had a ready answer: 'Who Donald Trump thinks is a great mayor.'

Both candidates claimed the stronger record on crime. Hochul argued that crime across New York state has fallen to its lowest levels in modern history, while Blakeman pointed to a report designating Nassau County the safest in the country — credit Hochul said belonged to his predecessor. 'You take credit for the sun rising in the morning and setting at night,' she said.

The debate's real audience may be each candidate's own base. A Marist University poll last week showed Hochul leading 53%-42%, with only 5% of voters undecided and just 2% of committed supporters saying they might switch. Marist pollster Lee Miringoff framed the stakes plainly: a debate at this stage is less about persuasion than motivation.

There's not that many persuadable voters out there, not that many undecided voters. But what [a debate] does is it gets to the heart of the motivation factor. So if you're each candidate, you want to tell your voters, your base, how important this election is because electing the other party is just a prescription for disaster.— Lee Miringoff, Marist University pollster

Governor Hochul, if she's well-briefed, will say the word Trump and Blakeman as if they were running mates. And for Blakeman, it's just the opposite. He's got to be talking about AOC and Mamdani as the direction of New York state and New York City Democratic politics.— Lee Miringoff, Marist University pollster

Both candidates have leaned on high-profile surrogates in the final stretch. Hochul appeared last week at a Fishkill farm with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where the two promoted the governor's one-year moratorium on new data center construction. Mayor Mamdani has also said he offered to campaign for Hochul in the closing weeks. Blakeman, meanwhile, held a Friday rally with Trump in Syracuse, aimed at energizing the Republican base upstate, according to Gothamist.

For Blakeman, the debate carried added urgency: his campaign is dealing with a cash shortage that could make it difficult to keep ads running through Election Day, according to Gothamist. With no further debates scheduled, Tuesday night was his clearest shot at a moment that could shift the race's trajectory.

Hochul, for her part, is looking to outperform her 2022 showing, when she beat Republican Lee Zeldin by 5.5 percentage points — a margin slim enough in a heavily Democratic state that it contributed to Republicans flipping several key congressional seats in New York and seizing control of the House of Representatives, according to Gothamist.

Why it matters — With no further debates scheduled and early voting starting in 11 days, Tuesday's exchange is the last time New Yorkers will see both candidates on the same stage — making it the final major set piece before a race that could shape the state's direction on immigration, energy costs, and its relationship with the Trump administration.

Reported by gothamist.com, nbcnewyork.com