The Buffalo News editorial board endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul for re-election Sunday, pointing to her education and child care policies, Western New York investments and response to President Donald Trump’s administration.
Hochul’s campaign announced the endorsement and highlighted passages from the editorial, which urged voters to give her another four years. The board also criticized Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman’s campaign messaging on crime and its use of artificial intelligence in advertising.
Board cites schools and regional investments
In excerpts quoted by the campaign, the board praised a statewide public school cellphone ban, phased-in universal child care, free school meals and a one-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers as examples of Hochul’s willingness to take major policy steps.
The board also credited her with a deal to keep the Buffalo Bills in Western New York, her response to the May 14, 2022, Tops supermarket massacre and bringing Micron’s chip project to Central New York. It described the Micron investment as within reach of Buffalo-area job seekers and related businesses.
According to the excerpts, Hochul told the board during a recent meeting that Western New York had received about $3 billion in investments during her tenure. The board argued that the region’s attention from Albany had produced benefits beyond those of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Buffalo Billion initiative.
Tariffs, immigration and campaign claims
The board praised Hochul’s approach to the Trump administration, describing a combination of legal challenges and negotiations. It cited an August lawsuit over international tariffs and her signing in May of a statewide ban on agreements allowing local police to assist federal civil immigration enforcement under the 287(g) program.
The excerpts criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations over violence and due process, and argued that local police should not serve as an extension of federal immigration enforcement.
On the governor’s race, the board accused Blakeman of relying on outdated crime statistics and Trump-aligned talking points. It argued that crime had declined statewide while household costs, including groceries and gasoline, remained a greater concern for residents.
The endorsement concluded: “Hochul has more than proven her worth over five years as governor. She deserves another four.”
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