Twenty-three Bronx elected officials endorsed Governor Kathy Hochul’s re-election campaign on June 30, according to a press release from the Hochul campaign and reporting by the Bronx Times. The Bronx Times, citing the campaign, noted the list covers all but a few of the borough’s total elected body.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson head the list, joined by eight City Council members (Elsie Encarnacion, Eric Dinowitz, Kevin Riley, Shirley Aldebol, Pierina Sanchez, Oswald Feliz, Justin Sanchez, and Amanda Farías), four State Senators (José M. Serrano, Luis R. Sepúlveda, Nathalia Fernandez, and Jamaal T. Bailey), and nine Assembly Members including George Alvarez, Landon C. Dais, Chantel Jackson, John Zaccaro Jr., Jeffrey Dinowitz, Michael Benedetto, Emérita Torres, Yudelka Tapia, and Karines Reyes.
Hochul won her first four-year term in November 2022 after taking office in August 2021 following former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation, according to the Bronx Times. Her Republican opponent this November is Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. The Bronx Times also reports that the race includes Amy Taylor on the Working Families Party line and Jonathan Makeley as a write-in candidate for the Prohibition Party.
In a statement released by the Hochul campaign, Gibson cited specific dollar figures from Hochul’s time in office: more than 10,000 affordable homes created or preserved in the Bronx, $100 million for the Kingsbridge Armory redevelopment, and a $142 million investment in St. Barnabas Hospital. The Bronx Times reported the figure for the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center and Grow NYC center in the South Bronx at $19 million.
“At a time when working families are struggling with high costs and chaos from the White House administration, the Governor has focused on strengthening our neighborhoods and making investments that improve the quality of life for our residents,” Gibson said in the campaign statement.
City Council Member Justin Sanchez emphasized the contrast with Blakeman. “New Yorkers simply cannot afford Bruce Blakeman, who has already promised to take Donald Trump’s Medicaid cuts even further, stripping New Yorkers of the care they need to survive,” Sanchez said in the campaign statement. “Blakeman has even committed to bringing his partnership with ICE statewide – expanding their presence in our communities as Governor Hochul has fought back against their abuses and overreach.”
On fundraising, Hochul holds more than $20 million in campaign funds compared to Blakeman’s just over $21,000, though a recent court ruling will allow Blakeman to unlock $4 million in matching funds, according to the Bronx Times. The same report cites recent polling showing Hochul with a 20-point lead, 52% to 32%, with a majority approval of her performance as governor.
More Bronx endorsements are expected in the near future, according to the campaign as reported by the Bronx Times.
Featured image: Kathy Hochul for Governor
