Governor Kathy Hochul won a second full term on Nov. 3, defeating Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman by about 20 points statewide, 59 to 40 percent in unofficial results. The Associated Press called the race about half an hour after polls closed. In New York City, Hochul took about 75 percent of the vote.
Both candidates courted Jewish voters. Blakeman, who is Jewish, built his campaign around antisemitism and Israel, and accused the governor of failing to protect Jewish New Yorkers. Hochul campaigned on her record with law enforcement and made an early play for Orthodox voters with tuition help for yeshivah families and buffer zones around shuls. With Adrienne Adams elected lieutenant governor, New York will have its first all-female statewide executive team.
NY-17: a seat changes hands
In the 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Rockland County, Democrat Cait Conley, an Army combat veteran, defeated Republican Rep. Mike Lawler by about 52 to 48 percent. Lawler still carried Rockland, roughly 54 to 46, but Conley’s margin in Westchester was too large to overcome.
Lawler conceded on election night and congratulated Conley, noting that he had never been offered a concession in any of his own races. For Monsey and the surrounding communities, it means a new representative in Washington for the first time since 2023.
A record in Albany
As the wave swept the state, another group grew. A record 11 shomer Shabbos members will sit in the state legislature next year, according to Met Council CEO David Greenfield. Eight were reelected, among them Assemblymen Simcha Eichenstein, Kalman Yeger and Aron Wieder.
Three are new. Pesach Osina won an Assembly seat in a Queens district that includes Far Rockaway. Joey Cohen-Saban won a South Brooklyn Assembly seat two years after losing it by 232 votes. Lisa “Malkie” Vider narrowly won a State Senate seat on Long Island.