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Hochul launches her first TV ads of the cycle as she shifts into full campaign mode
The two ads are emblematic of her campaign strategy: emphasize affordability, tie Blakeman to Trump
Gram-mama mia! Gov. Kathy Hochul hit the pizzeria in one of her new campaign ads. Friends of Kathy Hochul / Screenshot
Gov. Kathy Hochul is officially shifting into campaign mode as her first two TV ads of the cycle are set to start airing Thursday and the state Democratic Party prepares to host a statewide series of events this weekend in a pre-Labor Day kickoff to the general election push.
The first of the two ads features the governor discussing her first job at pizzeria in Buffalo. It’s not the first time she has mentioned the job, though the choice could perhaps be interpreted as a dig at a somewhat bizarre campaign-meets-pizzeria-promotional video her Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman filmed two months ago. In her ad, Hochul touted the approval of universal free school meals under her tenure and middle class tax cuts she signed. “Because I know what it’s like to stretch every penny,” she says in the ad. It’s yet another sign the governor is leaning into the political buzzword of this election cycle: affordability.
The second ad conversely goes negative on Blakeman, continuing Hochul’s strategy of tying him to President Donald Trump, who has called the Nassau County executive “100% MAGA.”
Per the governor’s campaign, both ads are part of a multimillion dollar ad buy that will run through Election Day all over the state on broadcast, cable digital and streaming.
“Our campaign is taking the contrast in this election to voters’ screens, doorsteps, and phones: while Governor Hochul fights for your family, Bruce Blakeman fights for Donald Trump,” Hochul campaign manager Preston Elliot said in a statement. Elliot also took aim at Blakeman’s use of artificial intelligence in his campaign material. “Unlike our opponent, we don’t need to use AI or made-up attacks – these are his own real words of adoration about Donald Trump and his policies, and New Yorkers should be deeply concerned.”
Blakeman has frequently made use of AI in campaign videos he posts on social media, some of which may run afoul of election law. The state Democratic Party earlier this month filed a complaint with the state Board of Elections over Blakeman’s use of AI and asking the board to ensure that public matching funds aren’t going toward potential election law violations.
The state Democratic Party is also holding 150 organizing events on Saturday and Sunday as part of its “coordinated campaign weekend of action” to mobilize voters, with the governor hitting the campaign trail next week, according to her campaign.