New York Governor Voter Guide: Hochul and Blakeman on Taxes and Energy Costs
Two candidates are on the ballot for governor of New York on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is also on the Working Families Party line, and Republican Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, who is also on the Conservative and Vote Affordable lines.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the two side by side on taxes and energy costs. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, the candidates' own words, state records and New York reporting.
Kathy Hochul (Democrat)
Hochul became governor in 2021 and won a full term in 2022, according to her campaign. She was elected lieutenant governor in 2014 and earlier represented a western New York district in Congress. Her running mate is Adrienne Adams, the first Black speaker of the New York City Council.
On taxes, the video says Hochul points to tax cuts for middle-income filers in her ads. "When I became governor, I cut middle-class taxes, got free meals in our schools and took on the utility companies raising your bills," she says in an August TV ad, the New York Post reported. The state budget she signed in May 2025 cut income taxes for joint filers earning up to $323,000, which the state Division of the Budget says brings middle-class taxes to their lowest level in 70 years. That budget also expanded the state's child tax credit and sent inflation refund checks of up to $400 to more than 8 million households, according to the budget office. Her campaign website also lists "no tax on tips," which was part of this year's budget, WKBW reported. Hochul dismissed Blakeman's income tax plan, telling WABC that a conservative think tank had said "this is not only a half baked job. It isn't even in the oven."
On energy costs, the video says Hochul signed a moratorium on large data centers and sent utility rebate checks of up to $200. Both check out. This summer she signed an executive order pausing state permitting for new large data centers while state regulators write new standards for them, NBC News reported; Hochul called it the first statewide moratorium of its kind. Large data centers should be "either bringing their own power or paying a premium into the grid to cover the cost," she told NBC News. The budget she signed in May 2026 included $1 billion in one-time Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate checks: $200 for joint filers earning up to $150,000 and $150 for joint filers earning up to $300,000, according to the budget office. Single filers earning up to $150,000 get $100, and the checks are being mailed this fall, according to the state tax department. The same budget added new rules for utilities, including requiring a lower-cost option whenever a utility asks for a rate increase, the budget office says. Hochul supports the state's ban on fracking. "I don't have any guarantee that the technology has gotten any better or more secure," she said in June, adding that she is "leaning hard into our renewable energy systems," Spectrum News reported.
Bruce Blakeman (Republican)
Blakeman has been Nassau County executive since 2022 and was reelected in 2025, according to his campaign, which also describes him as a former Port Authority commissioner who served during the Sept. 11 attacks. His running mate is Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood. His campaign says that as county executive he did not raise property or sales taxes and eliminated $150 million in property tax increases scheduled by his predecessor.
On taxes, the video says Blakeman wants to end income taxes for single filers under $50,000 and married couples under $100,000. When he unveiled the plan in Queens, he proposed eliminating state income taxes for single filers earning $50,000 or less and joint filers earning $100,000 or less, WABC reported. "And by the way, if you make more than 100,000 dollars, your first 100,000 dollars, you pay no taxes as well," he said. Blakeman said the plan would save joint filers earning $100,000 about $4,000 a year and would amount to a $35 billion statewide tax cut, according to WABC. He said he would pay for it by cutting funding for migrants and Medicaid, WABC reported. "I am proposing the largest middle-class income tax cut in New York state history," Blakeman said, the New York Post reported.
On energy costs, the video says Blakeman would allow fracking, a way of drilling for natural gas, and says more natural gas production would mean lower energy bills. He has called for overturning the state's fracking ban. "Why in the world would we sit on one of the largest natural gas reserves and not enjoy that natural resource, to create prosperity, to create economic development, to lower utility bills," he said in June, Spectrum News reported. At an Oct. 20 news conference with former Gov. George Pataki, Blakeman said relying only on wind and solar "will actually bankrupt New Yorkers" and called for "a balanced approach to energy," the New York Post reported. He has pledged to cut utility bills in half. His campaign told New York Focus that its plan includes returning $2.4 billion in unspent state energy funds to ratepayers as a credit, eliminating the System Benefit Charge on monthly bills and "scrapping the radical carbon mandates driving up delivery rates."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Kathy Hochul: @KathyHochul on X and @teamhochul on TikTok. Bruce Blakeman: @NassauExec on X and @blakemanfornewyork on TikTok.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: New York State Division of the Budget, "Governor Hochul Signs New Legislation to Cut Taxes for Middle-Class New Yorkers as Part of FY 2026 State Budget" (May 9, 2025): https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/press/2025/fy26-enacted-budget-new-legislation-cut-taxes-middle-class-nys.html ; New York State Division of the Budget, "Governor Hochul Signs Budget That Makes New York More Affordable" (May 28, 2026): https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/press/2026/fy27-enacted-signed.html ; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Protecting our wallets energy rebate (POWER) check: https://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/energy-rebate-check.htm ; NBC News, "New York Gov. Kathy Hochul explains why she signed the first statewide moratorium on data centers" (July 23, 2026): https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/new-york-gov-kathy-hochul-explains-signed-first-statewide-moratorium-d-rcna588832 ; WABC, "Bruce Blakeman unveils plans to cut New York income tax if elected" (Oct. 1, 2026): https://abc7ny.com/post/republican-gubernatorial-nominee-bruce-blakeman-unveils-plans-cut-new-york-income-tax-elected/19892986/ ; New York Post, "Hochul launches multi-million dollar ad blitz tying Blakeman to Trump" (Aug. 20, 2026): https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/us-news/hochul-launches-multi-million-dollar-ad-blitz-tying-blakeman-to-trump/ ; New York Post, "Blakeman joins former Gov. Pataki in call to tap NYS natural gas as energy prices soar" (Oct. 20, 2026): https://nypost.com/2026/10/20/us-news/blakeman-joins-former-gov-pataki-in-call-to-tap-nys-natural-gas-as-energy-prices-soar/ ; New York Post via Yahoo News, "Bruce Blakeman unveils plan to effectively wipe out NY income taxes for many households": https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/bruce-blakeman-unveils-plan-effectively-160226771.html ; Spectrum News, "Hochul defends fracking ban as Blakeman presses for it to be overturned" (June 12, 2026): https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2026/06/12/hochul-defends-fracking-ban-as-blakeman-presses-for-it-to-be-overturned ; New York Focus, "Fact Check: Can Bruce Blakeman Really Cut Utility Bills in Half?" (Oct. 13, 2026): https://nysfocus.com/2026/10/13/ny-governor-race-bruce-blakeman-utility-bills ; WKBW, "Hochul signs FY 2027 budget that includes energy rebate checks, protections from ICE overreach, no tax on tips": https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/hochul-signs-fy-2027-budget-that-includes-energy-rebate-checks-protections-from-ice-overreach-no-tax-on-tips ; Kathy Hochul campaign, About: https://kathyhochul.com/about/ ; Kathy Hochul campaign, Accomplishments: https://kathyhochul.com/accomplishments/ ; Bruce Blakeman campaign: https://www.blakemanfornewyork.com/
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