Amanda

𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐋: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐒 The current governor of New York was never elected to the job. She got it because Andrew Cuomo was a predator who resigned in disgrace. Since then, she’s presided over the largest population exodus of any state, a migrant crisis she helped create, a $𝟐𝟔𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 she can’t balance, and an approval rating so low that members of her own party are openly plotting to replace her. Here’s the full picture. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝: 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Born Kathleen Mary Courtney on August 27, 1958, in Buffalo, New York. Her father was a steelworker; the family lived in a 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 when she was young. Irish Catholic, working-class roots — and she talks about it constantly. She graduated from Syracuse University and earned a law degree from Catholic University in D.C., then worked as a corporate lawyer and Capitol Hill aide. She served on the Hamburg Town Board, then as Erie County Clerk for 4 years. In 2011, she won a special election for Congress in a deep-red district — but lost it a year later when it was redrawn. After two years out of office, Andrew Cuomo plucked her from obscurity to be his running mate in 2014. She was chosen not for her talent but for her geography — a woman from upstate to balance a New York City governor. She served as lieutenant governor for seven years, a job she later admitted was largely ceremonial. “𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘭”, she told a reporter. Then on August 24, 2021, Andrew Cuomo resigned after the New York Attorney General found he had sexually harassed 𝟏𝟏 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧. Just like that, Kathleen Courtney Hochul — the woman nobody chose, nobody vetted, and nobody outside of Western New York had heard of — became the 57th governor of the state of New York. Not by election. By accident. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐔𝐩 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 — 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 One of Hochul’s first acts as governor was to reveal what Cuomo had hidden: the state had undercounted COVID nursing home deaths by 𝟏𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎 — bringing the true toll to over 𝟏𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎 elderly New Yorkers who died after Cuomo’s administration ordered COVID-positive patients back into nursing facilities (NY AG Report). It was the right thing to do. Cuomo’s cover-up was a scandal of historic proportions. And then Hochul buried it. When the U.S. House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic investigated the nursing home deaths, Hochul’s administration 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 despite 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 from Congress (House Select Subcommittee). She stonewalled a bipartisan investigation into the deaths of 15,000 elderly citizens. The same cover-up she exposed under Cuomo, she perpetuated under her own name. The families of those 𝟏𝟓,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 never got answers — not from Cuomo and not from Hochul. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝: 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 Hochul’s husband, 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐥 𝐉𝐫., serves as 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 — a multibillion-dollar hospitality and gaming conglomerate based in Buffalo. Delaware North operates casinos, stadiums, airports, and resorts across the country. The company has spent over $𝟑𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 Hochul’s office since she became governor (𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯). While her husband collected his salary from Delaware North, Hochul championed the most controversial stadium deal in New York history: a $𝟏.𝟒 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐲 for a new Buffalo Bills stadium — at the time the largest taxpayer contribution to a professional sports facility in American history. Delaware North operates the 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬’ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦. Her husband’s company directly profits from the deal she pushed through with public money. She has dismissed conflict-of-interest questions as “𝘴𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵”. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬: $𝟒.𝟑 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 When the migrant crisis hit New York in 2022, Hochul initially embraced it. New York was a “sanctuary” state. The city that never sleeps would welcome everyone. Then the bills arrived. New York has allocated over $𝟒.𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 for illegal immigrant services — housing, healthcare, food, legal aid (NY Comptroller). At the peak, the city was spending $𝟑𝟕𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 to house migrants in hotels — nearly double the $𝟐𝟎𝟕 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 it spent to shelter its own homeless population. Think about that: illegal immigrants got better accommodations than American citizens sleeping on the streets. By January 2025, the money ran out. Hochul cut off new funding for migrant services — after years of promising that the federal government would reimburse the state. The reimbursement never came. $𝟒.𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 of New York taxpayer money, gone. Hotels converted to shelters. Schools overcrowded. Emergency rooms overwhelmed. And when it became politically untenable, she reversed course and pretended she’d been tough on the issue all along. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐬 People are leaving New York in droves. Between 2024 and 2025, New York lost a net 𝟏𝟑𝟕,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 to other states — the 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝-𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬 of any state in America (U.S. Census). A 𝟒𝟐% of those who left cited housing costs as the primary driver. Families, businesses, and tax revenue are fleeing to Florida, Texas, the Carolinas — anywhere that doesn’t tax you into poverty and then spend your money housing illegal immigrants in hotels. This isn’t a blip. New York has lost congressional seats in two consecutive redistricting cycles because the population keeps shrinking. The state that was once the center of American gravity is hemorrhaging its own citizens, and Hochul has done nothing to reverse it. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭: $𝟐𝟔𝟑 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 $𝟏𝟎 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐞 Hochul’s latest state budget is $𝟐𝟔𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 — the 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. Despite record spending, the state faces a projected deficit exceeding $𝟏𝟎 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 (NY Comptroller). Her solution: more taxes, more fees, more tolls. She championed congestion pricing in Manhattan — a $15 toll on every car entering below 60th Street — then 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 weeks before implementation when it became clear voters would revolt, then 𝐮𝐧-𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 after the election. She governs by political wind, not conviction. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 In 2021, Hochul maintained a 𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐃 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 even after courts began striking down similar mandates. The result: New York lost over 𝟑𝟒,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 who refused the vaccine and were fired or quit (Empire Center). Nurses, doctors, EMTs, home health aides — gone. In a state already facing a healthcare staffing crisis, she made it catastrophically worse. Rural hospitals and nursing homes were hit hardest. Some facilities couldn’t fill shifts for months. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 A December 2024 poll found that only 𝟑𝟑% of New York voters would re-elect Hochul — making her one of the 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 heading into the 2026 cycle (Siena College). Democrats in Albany are openly discussing primary challengers. The woman who got the job because Cuomo was too toxic to stay is now too toxic herself to keep it. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 A woman who became governor because the last one was a predator. Who exposed 𝟏𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 — then blocked Congress from investigating them. Whose husband works for a company that lobbied her office while she steered $𝟏.𝟒 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 in public money to a stadium his company profits from. Who spent $𝟒.𝟑 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 housing illegal immigrants in hotels at $𝟑𝟕𝟎 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 while her own citizens couldn’t afford rent. Who lost 𝟏𝟑𝟕,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 in a single year and 𝟑𝟒,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 to a mandate she refused to lift. Who passed the 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 and still has a $𝟏𝟎 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭. And whose own party can’t wait to replace her. Every number is sourced. Every dollar is on the record. Every scandal is public. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡.