As the first female governor of New York, Democrat Kathy Hochul has been elected to a full term after defeating Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin.
As ballots were still being tallied and Hochul’s advantage against Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin was narrowing, she approached the stage at her jam-packed downtown Manhattan watch party at 11:30 p.m.
“You made it happen,” she told her supporters. “The glass ceiling like the one that’s above us here today has finally been shattered in the state of New York.”
Around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 81 percent of the ballots had been counted, and Hochul had a 54 percent to 46 percent lead against Zeldin. Her victory was aided by a strong showing in New York City, which was important to both candidates’ campaigns.
Zeldin, who is from Suffolk County on Long Island and is a congressman, refused to concede, stating that there were likely still 1.4 million ballots to be processed.
Zeldin’s campaign grew in recent months as voters focused on public safety and the economy, therefore the election was closer than most governor races in the previous two decades.
In her first full term, Hochul, came into office in August 2021 after previous governor Andrew Cuomo resigned after sexual harassment charges. She has promised to concentrate on housing, lowering gun violence, creating economic opportunity, and defending abortion rights.
Hochul honored her senior employees and the labor unions on Tuesday, crediting them with “bringing it home.”
In the last month, Hochul has concentrated her efforts on winning over voters downstate and changing the focus of her campaign platform to include her own initiatives to combat violent crime, which have included stopping the entry of illegal firearms into the state.
Additionally, she has been working to boost her own rather low-key image, which is unique in New York politics and the political celebrity landscape of 2022. She is the first governor from outside the New York City region in a century.
With a 2-to-1 enrollment lead over Republicans, Hochul’s campaign received widespread support from all parts of the Democratic party in New York, raising a record $50 million in little over a year.
Other elected officials have praised her for putting a strong emphasis on relationships and teamwork. She swore on Tuesday to lead in a different way than New York had previously experienced.
She declared, “I will lead with courage and kindness, not with fear and rage.”