Hochul brings the ‘Wrath of Kath’ to LCA Show

The Legislative Correspondents’ Association Show typically takes place during a relatively quiet period in Albany. But not this year. 

“Those of you who thought we’d have a budget by the LCA Show? You just lost big on Kalshi,” Gov. Kathy Hochul joked on stage. “That’s how we filled New York City’s budget gap.”

Hochul and the Capitol press corps traded barbs at the 124th annual benefit – a perfect comedy show for the kind of New York political nerds who laugh at singing “Mike Gianaris” to the tune of “Bootylicious” or “Oh, Edward Ra” to “O Canada.”

City & State’s Kate Lisa played Hochul, nailing the governor’s Buffalo accent in her take on “Mamma Mia” with City & State’s Rebecca Lewis as Karen Persichilli Keogh and Aoife Forbes of “The Capitol Pressroom” as Director of State Operations Jackie Bray.

The governor enjoyed laughs throughout the evening, but she wasn’t particularly smiley after certain lines in the number, like “Kathy Hochul, here she goes again/ Our gov, accidental leader!/ No, I’m not that inspiring/ Government’s awfully tiring.” 

Hochul brought her A-game to her rebuttal, though. Embracing her “wrath of Kath” persona (with an image emblazoned on T-shirts tossed to the crowd), she donned a leather jacket and entered the stage through a cloud of smoke.

She kept it loose, and confidently poked fun at her political enemies, calling former Gov. Andrew Cuomo a “washed-up AM radio host,” writing off Rep. Elise Stefanik for getting “passed over by her boss for a promotion, twice” and joking that Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado is searching for a new job as a billboard lawyer (but only after Streetsblog’s Austin Jefferson rocked a robe and slippers as he sang “Delgado” to the tune of “Tomorrow” from “Annie”). Hochul even made nice with one of her chief adversaries, state Sen. James Skoufis: To make up for his transgressions, she suggested he’d been doing time in the furry costume as cellphone ban mascot Frankie Focus. Sure enough, Skoufis appeared on stage in full Frankie attire. Take that, Matt Damon.

Hochul got her own celebrity boost, though. Alec Baldwin played President Donald Trump in a prerecorded video skit, imploring Hochul to name it “Cen-Trump Park” or “the Trumpen Zee Bridge.”

Bruce Blakeman, on the other hand, missed the show to attend the state Republican dinner at The Plaza in Manhattan Tuesday night. His recorded rebuttal wasn’t well received by the crowd – but maybe the only moment that didn’t leave the crowd utterly befuddled was when he awkwardly danced to “ICE, ICE, baby.”

Blakeman wasn’t the only absence. LCA President Dave Lombardo said that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani couldn’t make it. But that’s not new – he didn’t show up to Albany for session as an Assembly member either. 

“Also unable to join tonight are Assembly Members David McDonough and Vivian Cook,” Lombardo joked about the elderly legislators who are retiring this year. “But don’t worry. They’re being honored across town at City & State’s first ever 90 Under 90 Awards.”