Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
New York Gov. Hochul says she will hit the campaign trail with Rep. AOC
By
Jon Campbell
Published Sep 23, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Sarah Rice/Getty Images; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Jon Campbell
Published Sep 23, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives.
Sign up to get the full version where you can ask questions, share news tips and weigh in on the conversation. Hits inboxes on Wednesdays.
Coming soon to a campaign stop near you: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gov. Kathy Hochul on the same stage.
The moderate Democratic governor says she’ll be out on the trail with Ocasio-Cortez, the darling of the left who is kicking off a statewide tour this week ahead of the November midterm elections.
“ I will be with her at different events,” Hochul said during an interview with WNYC.
Hochul’s interview is part of the very first edition of “Who’s Running This Place?,” a brand new politics pop-up show hosted by senior politics reporter Brigid Bergin. The debut show — including Hochul’s full conversation — airs at 1 p.m. Thursday.
The governor didn’t say whether she’ll be with Ocasio-Cortez when she begins her tour Thursday in Buffalo. But Hochul made clear she’ll appear with Ocasio-Cortez at multiple events before Election Day.
“ I think she brings a lot of energy to the process, engages young people in particular,” Hochul said. “I’ve encouraged this. I have asked her and others to go statewide to create the momentum we need, the energy around this next election. So I think she'll be very well-received.”
Hochul’s interview touched on everything from childcare expansion to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the governor makes her case to voters for a second full term. She’s squaring off against Republican Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, in the November election. (We’ve invited Blakeman to appear on a future episode of the show.)
Ocasio-Cortez has previously campaigned for Hochul, albeit briefly. That came during Hochul’s 2022 campaign, when the two Democrats chatted with voters at the Woodside station in Queens on Election Day.
Blakeman has made clear he wants Ocasio-Cortez — a lightning rod for criticism from those on the right — to campaign for his opponent.
WNYC senior politics reporter Brigid Bergin's interview of Gov. Hochul will air Thursday at 1 p.m. in the inaugural episode of "Who's Running This Place?"
Daniel Shapiro/WNYC
“The more she campaigns for Kathy Hochul, the greater chance of my election,” he said at the state Capitol on Tuesday.
A pair of new polls painted drastically different pictures of the current state of the governor’s race.
One of them – released Wednesday morning by Siena University — had Hochul with a relatively slim 50%-41% lead over Blakeman among likely voters.
The second poll, from Quinnipiac University a few hours later, had Hochul with a far greater lead: 58%-39%, a more-than-comfortable 19-point margin.
The Siena poll could make Democrats nervous.
A handful of congressional races scattered across the state will help decide control of the House of Representatives, and Hochul’s party is counting on her to run up the score at the top of the ticket.
“The fact that [Blakeman’s] only down by 9 points with six weeks to go shows that this is a real race,” Siena pollster Steve Greenberg said.
If they choose to believe the Quinnipiac poll, a 19-point margin of victory would have down-ballot Democrats breathing a sigh of relief.
For her part, Hochul brushed off both of them during her interview with WNYC.
“ I think there's just something about polling these days that leads one to wonder,” she said.
“Who’s Running This Place?” will air on WNYC every Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. through mid-November.
We want to hear from you
Does AOC hitting the campaign trail with Gov. Kathy Hochul make you more or less likely to vote for the governor? Why?
We'll share responses in next week's newsletter. (Sign up!)
This week in New York politics
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump announced that housing officials from their administrations will advance a plan to build thousands of new homes over the sprawling Sunnyside Yard train tracks in Western Queens.
- Some New Jersey Republicans are expressing concern over Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s re-election chances.
- Starting in October, New York City will be investigating each individual heat-related complaint submitted by tenants, according to Mayor Mamdani.
- New York bodegas are joining a coalition of the state's largest grocers and retailers to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul and Albany lawmakers to change state law to allow them to sell wine and liquor.
- New York City’s top watchdog agency has hired a team of lawyers to investigate exactly what city officials knew about health hazards from toxic dust created by the World Trade Center’s destruction on 9/11.
- New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration has fined a large data center over $1 million for installing and operating 62 large gas-powered generators without state permits.
- DoorDash will pay delivery workers $131.5 million for violations of the local wage laws – marking the largest labor enforcement action in New York City history.
Join us for “In Conversation: The Affordability Series” on Wednesday, Sept. 30
New York City’s childcare crisis has become one of the clearest examples of how the affordability crunch shapes everyday family life. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, join WNYC’s “All Things Considered,” along with parents, small childcare providers and policymakers to explore solutions that can help families stay and thrive in New York City.
The event takes place at the Snug Harbor Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art on Staten Island. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event begins at 7 p.m.
Tagged
Politics
new york
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .