Hochul and Mamdani campaign together in North Brooklyn as early voting opens; Blakeman vows to replace MTA chief

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned together on Friday, riding the G train to the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg to meet voters hours before early voting began, Spectrum News reported. CBS New York said the pair also appeared together at a Greenpoint restaurant and are scheduled to campaign together again on Sunday.

Why Hochul wants the mayor next to her

Hochul, seeking a second term against Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, is trying to turn out the younger voters who powered Mamdani's mayoral win. CBS New York cited a study by AARP and Gotham Polling & Analytics that found voters 50 and older could outnumber younger voters by roughly 1.3 million this year.

A Sept. 23 Siena College poll cited by CBS had Hochul leading Blakeman 50% to 41% statewide. The race was much closer in the downstate suburbs, 48% to 46%, and Blakeman led upstate 47% to 44%.

Hochul told reporters the mayor brings "energy and excitement" to her campaign. Asked why she was campaigning with him, she said he is more popular than Blakeman across the state, according to Spectrum News.

Mamdani credited Hochul with state money for city priorities, especially child care, which he called the second-biggest part of the city's cost-of-living crisis. He also said Blakeman would cut Medicaid in half. Spectrum noted that Hochul was among the first establishment Democrats to endorse Mamdani after his June 2025 primary win. The two still differ on issues including taxes and Middle East policy, CBS reported.

Blakeman in Chinatown

At the same time, Blakeman rallied in Chinatown with the Republican candidate for attorney general, Saritha Komatireddy. He accused Hochul of raising taxes and utility bills and said he would use the governor's office to end the city's plan for borough-based jails, arguing that Rikers Island is a good place for a jail, Spectrum reported.

In a taping of CBS New York's The Point, Blakeman said one of his first moves as governor would be replacing MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. He called the agency "completely mismanaged" and accused Lieber of contempt for riders. The MTA suspended its EAGLE bus fare-enforcement teams this week after confrontations with riders. Read that story.

How to vote

Early voting began Saturday, Oct. 24, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Your early voting site may be different from your Election Day poll site. See daily hours, what's on the ballot and how to find your site.