Gov. Kathy Hochul will raise taxes on New Yorkers to advance Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist agenda if she wins re-election next week, Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman warned.
In the closing 30-second digital ad of his campaign, Blakeman accused Hochul of planning to work with the New York City mayor on billions of dollars in tax increases after the November 3 election — unless voters stop them.
“Kathy Hochul made New York unaffordable — taxing paychecks, toll and fare hikes. The nation’s highest taxes,” the narrator says in the Blakeman ad.
“Now, Hochul is planning with Mamdani massive new tax hikes for their socialist agenda: higher income taxes, property taxes, higher taxes on farms, small businesses. They even want to halve our inheritance, all while giving millions to illegals,” the television spot continues.
“Hochul raised taxes before, she’ll raise them again. Only your vote for Bruce Blakeman will stop them.”
Blakeman, the Republican Nassau County executive, has pledged to effectively eliminate income taxes for most New Yorkers if he is elected governor.
The Long Island politician said he would remove taxes on the first $50,000 earned by single filers and the first $100,000 earned by married couples. He argued that economic growth and cuts to funding for illegal immigrants would offset the $34 billion tax-cutting plan.
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During the candidates’ only debate, held October 14, Hochul said she would not increase New York’s state income taxes.
Hochul has twice increased the payroll tax on corporations in the New York City region to support mass transit. She also backed the $9 congestion-pricing toll for vehicles entering Midtown Manhattan, with the revenue directed to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Earlier this year, the Democratic incumbent approved a controversial new tax on luxury second homes in New York City to help support Mamdani’s budget.
Hochul, meanwhile, has touted cuts that brought income-tax rates for middle-class New Yorkers to their lowest levels in decades.
The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, an ally of Mamdani, supports raising taxes by a projected $32 billion on high-income earners and corporations. The money would fund universal child care and other social-service programs.
The Hochul campaign did not directly address the tax allegations Tuesday, instead targeting Blakeman’s record as Nassau County executive.
“Only a ‘MAGA all the way’ perennial candidate like Bruce Blakeman could expect you to believe he’d cut property taxes after raising them twice, or do anything about utility costs when he’s defending Trump’s record-high gas prices and fighting to let data centers jack up your energy bills,” a Hochul campaign spokesperson said.
“Governor Hochul stands up to Trump’s attacks on this state, has invested $4 billion into public safety, and cut middle-class taxes to historically low rates — just one week to go until we don’t have to hear any more lies from Blakeman.”
