In New York, Hochul moves to thread needle between Democratic divides ahead of a contested election

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Ahead of a tough reelection fight, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled an agenda aimed at bridging the divides in the Democratic Party — moving to fight President Donald Trump and capture progressive excitement surrounding Mayor Zohran Mamdani, while also tending to anxiety among moderates about public safety and protests outside synagogues.

In most states, governors use their annual State of the State addresses to detail their upcoming legislative plans for the year, boosting their own records while charting a path ahead.

For Hochul, however, her speech this year carried additional significance, as the centrist from Buffalo faces challenges from both her political left and right in a heavily contested election cycle.

Her own second-in-command, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, has assailed her for months and launched an unusual primary challenge against his boss, casting Hochul as a reactive executive unable to meet the political moment during Trump's second term. Republican Bruce Blakeman, a Trump-aligned county official in New York’s City’s suburbs, has also announced a run for governor, bashing Hochul over the state's high taxes and cost of living.

At the same time, the governor is under mounting pressure from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to help steward Mamdani's ambitious agenda at the state Capitol and raise taxes on the state's richest residents.

Hochul appeared aware of the rocky political terrain during her State of the State, announcing a slate of affordability proposals, pledging additional public safety programs as well as a raft of proposals meant to counter the Republican president's agenda.

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that when New Yorkers move forward with strength and compassion side by side there is no challenge we cannot meet, no tyrant we cannot beat and no future we cannot build,” she told a packed crowd at The Egg, a striking domed theater near the state's ornate Capitol building.

Child care — a signature priority for Mamdani — was also at the top of Hochul's list, with the governor reiterating plans to set up a child care program for 2-year-olds in New York City, along with a wider plan to establish a universal pre-K program throughout the state by 2028.

Mamdani, who was seated near the stage, rose to applaud Hochul's child care plan. The rest of the room followed, delivering her a standing ovation. Amid the clapping, she added: “Republicans have kids, too, you can stand.”

Hochul then turned to crime, promising to continue enhanced police patrols on the city's subways and expand the use of mental health teams throughout the transit system.

She also proposed a ban on protests within 25 feet of a house of worship, referencing a recent protest outside a synagogue in Queens where people chanted pro-Hamas remarks, with Hochul saying “That’s not free expression. That’s harassment. And targeting a Jewish community in this way is antisemitism.”

Hochul wove heavy criticism for the federal government and Trump into her speech, at one point saying that she would ensure New York's immunization standards “are set by trusted medical experts, not conspiracy theorists."

The governor debuted two proposals centered on the president's immigration crackdown — one that would allow people to sue federal officers “when they act outside the scope of their duties,” and another to ensure sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals and houses of worship can be “protected from civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.”

"Public safety will always come first, but it must be pursued lawfully and with humanity," Hochul said.

Her plans will be subject to negotiations with the state Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, over the coming months.

While Hochul was in Albany, Delgado, who the governor picked to be her No.2 in 2022, was running some counter programming, making stops along what he has called the “State of the People Tour.”

"This moment demands urgency, honesty, and the courage to act. New Yorkers can’t afford Governor Hochul’s half-measures,” he said in a statement.

After Hochul's address, Blakeman fired off his own criticism, saying: “If speeches fixed problems, New York would be thriving. Instead, families are struggling and businesses are leaving.”