Kathy Hochul, the accidental governor, is lucky to be running for reelection this year.
Because in any other national environment, she’d be in big trouble.
Hochul only ever ascended to her current position because her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, was driven from office for the same reason most high-profile Empire State Democrats eventually are.
Were it not for his sexual misconduct, New Yorkers would never have promoted the hapless Hochul.
Now that she’s in the big chair, though, she’s a heavy, near-perennial anchor on her party’s ticket.
The proof is in her fellow Democrats’ backpedal away from her; recent days have seen multiple candidates stiff-arm the governor.
First up in the “Chuck Kathy Under the Bus” line was Blake Gendebien, Team Donkey’s nominee to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik in the 21st congressional district.
In a radio interview last week, Gendebien refused to say whether he supports Hochul or her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, in the gubernatorial contest.
“What I support is anyone that will help the North Country be absolutely successful,” he dithered, prompting his host to needle him for being so squirrely.
He might not have admitted the reason for hiding his allegiance in the moment, but he already had at a September “Health Activist Town Hall” during which he observed that Hochul “is underwater, she has a negative net-favorability, for whatever reason. I don’t know why that is.”
“She has certainly worked hard to provide funding and opportunities for as many communities as she possibly can,” he lamented — from behind closed doors, of course.
Cait Conley, Rep. Mike Lawler’s Democratic opponent in the 17th district, followed up on Tuesday night at a Putnam County VFW.
She opted for a piledriver that made Gendebien’s cold shoulder look positively inviting.
Moments after Lawler slammed New York’s sorry business environment and declared that “We need a new governor, Kathy Hochul has got to go,” Conley took the mic from him to say: “I have to tell you, I am in absolute agreement with my opponent here. Absolute agreement, absolute!”
The shocking sentiment was greeted by her audience with applause and unambiguous cheers of “We need a new governor!” and “Blakeman!”
Conley smiled before blasting the state for “screwing you over.”
“I am sick of watching politicians put their own political ambition, and that of their billionaire backers and donors first ahead of working-class people,” she continued. “You do deserve better.”
Conley has attempted to walk her comments back, insisting that she was only “agreeing that New York’s small business owners need more support” and even accusing Lawler of “lying.”
But video of the event obtained by The Post paints only an unflattering picture of her relationship with the truth.
Hochul’s brand is toxic — even among reasonable Democrats — because her performance has been putrid.
In fiscal year 2025, New York placed 50th in net population change percentage at -0.8%, losing $9.89 billion in adjusted gross income as a result.
The 49th-place finisher, Alaska, came in at -.57%.
Energy costs are higher and economic growth is slower thanks to her faithful preservation of Cuomo’s foolish fracking ban.
She hasn’t just followed his cues, either.
Hochul has also taken initiative in discouraging investment in new technologies and industries with her braindead data center moratorium.
As if that wasn’t enough, she’s raised New York’s minimum wage to either $16 or $17 an hour depending on where you are in the state.
Sounds great . . . until all the small businesses that rely on minimum-wage work either close their doors or trim their payrolls.
Job losses already prevented another hike from taking effect this year, yet Hochul wants to do away with even these safeguards.
Then there’s her greenlighting of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s vindictive pied-à-terre tax, an arbitrary, unjust aggression sure to push still more wealth out of the state.
Hope it’s worth the cred it buys you in Brooklyn, governor.
Her lunacy costs her constituency more than just dollars and cents.
Hochul has also swung toward the far left on social issues, championing the causes of biological men who want to compete in women’s sports, violent illegal immigrants, infanticidal abortion enthusiasts, and nun-harassing activists.
The result? A state that’s less safe, less tolerant and less proud in addition to less prosperous.
Upstate, the child poverty rate is high.
Downstate, so is the risk of being heckled, assaulted or much, much worse.
A Marist poll conducted this month found that although Hochul may be leading Blakeman going into the home stretch of the campaign, it’s not because she’s popular.
Her net favorability rating came in at -4 (43%-47%).
Another recent survey pegged her net approval rating at -10 (43%-53%).
New York may be blue enough for Hochul to remain favored — though not prohibitively so — to hold on to her job.
This cycle is likely to be a good one for Democrats across the country.
But Hochul’s failures have exhausted the patience of even this deep blue state, and rendered her a potentially decisive liability for Democrats running in more competitive races.
The governor’s incidental rise may yet prove a happy accident for Republicans, as her dismal tenure could prove the rock bottom New Yorkers need to make a change.
From the looks of it, Hochul’s own should-be allies think so, too.