Hochul runs on halting data centers in new ad

Amid heightened concerns regarding the potential threats of artificial intelligence, Gov. Kathy Hochul is out with a new TV ad touting her moratorium on data centers as she enters the home stretch of her reelection bid. 

The ad, shared exclusively with City & State ahead of its release, will run through Election Day as part of a multimillion-dollar, statewide ad campaign on cable, broadcast, digital and streaming platforms.

“Leadership isn’t just talk. It’s about getting things done,” a narrator says to begin the ad. “That’s Kathy Hochul – this time with her nation-leading moratorium on data centers.” 

After saying the one-year moratorium on permits for large data centers would save New Yorkers money on utility bills, the ad treads familiar territory – jabbing at the governor’s Republican opponent, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, for his alliance with President Donald Trump.

“But Bruce Blakeman: He’s followed Trump and called Hochul’s moratorium ‘crazy,’ and supports new data centers that will raise your costs,” the narrator says over a clip of Trump and Blakeman shaking hands. 

“That’s the choice: Bruce Blakeman defending data centers, or Kathy Hochul standing up for New York,” the narrator says to close the ad over a clip of Hochul striding alone past a row of brownstones.

Hochul’s ad comes amid a widespread frenzy surrounding AI following some high-profile security incidents, sparking a push for enhanced regulations and safety protocols and raising questions about the threat of AI. And the ad takes advantage of the moment, positioning the governor as a leader in a moment of crisis. In recent weeks, Hochul has pointed to the data center moratorium in addition to touting the state’s AI safety bill, the Responsible AI Safety and Education, or RAISE Act. On Monday, the governor unveiled her plans for implementing the legislation, which goes into effect come January.