Kathy Hochul’s speech is a roadmap for the campaign ahead| Local News

She also pledged to pursue a five-year plan to provide 100,000 affordable housing units, although some housing advocates felt she should have offered much more comprehensive protections since the state’s moratorium on evictions is on. about to expire. And she presented a multitude of initiatives related to climate, infrastructure and transport.

While many aspects of the speech played a role in the concerns of grassroots Democratic voters and union officials, Ms. Hochul has also repeatedly made overtures to a wider ideological and geographic swath of voters who will lead the general election. (“I think I have personal experience with just about every pothole in NYC as well, especially on the Long Island Expressway,” she said, referring to a battlefield important policy.).

Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin is considered the most formidable Republican candidate in the race for governor, although any Republican seeking a statewide office in New York will face very long odds, and Mr. Zeldin, a staunch Trump ally, would be given special scrutiny to vote to overturn the 2020 election results.

Yet Ms Hochul’s speech came months after Democrats were deeply shaken by election results across the country. In New York City, Democrats suffered a series of unexpected losses in local races in November, driven on Long Island by concerns about crime and taxes. The governor’s race in neighboring New Jersey – which was defined in part by tax debates – was tighter than many anticipated, with a startling ballot loss. And the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s gubernatorial race lost a contest that was shaped by education issues, including parental frustration over closed schools.

The governor aimed to deal directly with all of these issues.

She has repeatedly underlined her commitment to tackle gun violence and tackle quality of life issues, and she endorsed funding for law enforcement officers and prosecutors and investments in neighborhoods where violent crime is common. She also stressed that she understands the deep concerns about public safety, even though New York is much safer today than before.

“This is not a throwback to the dark days of the 70s and 80s and 90s,” she said. “But that’s not our criterion for success. We need to get back on track. “

Ms. Hochul devoted a significant portion of her speech to discussing affordability issues. She has proactively taken up the challenge of inflation, she has made overtures to farmers – who are generally not considered a reliable Democratic constituency – and she has come up with a number of tax proposals. She has offered to speed up tax cuts for the middle class, and her call for property tax relief could be particularly resonant in the suburbs.