In a new digital ad, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s reelection campaign portrays her as a crusader against President Donald Trump.
“She doesn’t come from money, and she’s not just our governor,” the narrator says, introducing the Democrat in the ad. “She’s a mom from Buffalo, and it doesn’t get much tougher than that.”
The spot, which launched on Monday, shows a montage of clips of Hochul speaking, including during an interview on potential redistricting in New York in which she said the current times call for “fighting fire with fire.”
“If Tom Homan comes to Albany to arrest me, I’ll say go for it. You can’t intimidate a governor,” Hochul says in the clip of her appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in June.
Hochul has become one of the foremost Democrat opponents of red state redistricting efforts, reportedly meeting last week with leaders in the state Legislature to discuss strategy and how Democrats can favorably redraw congressional state maps.
According to The Hill, the ad will run across Meta platforms.
A Siena College poll released this month shows that Hochul is kicking off her 2026 reelection bid with a 53% approval rating and a 42% disapproval rating in a blue state where Trump made inroads during the 2024 election.
The survey revealed that Hochul has a 14-point lead on Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who’s expected to declare a bid for governor in the coming months. That’s down from the 23-point lead Hochul had on Stefanik in June.
At the beginning of August, Hochul warned that Trump would like to see Stefanik challenge her this election cycle.
“If someone who is a MAGA Republican gets elected as governor … against me, think about the power that Donald Trump will have over everything in the state, including the city,” Hochul cautioned. “That’s what should give people great pause.”
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