New York Governor’s Race This Week is a weekly column by USA TODAY Network-New York reporters highlighting aspects of the 2026 campaign to lead the Empire State.
Questions surrounding an ad campaign promoting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s agenda being made using taxpayer money and the ongoing battle over her push to weaken New York’s climate protection law topped a busy week in the governor’s race.
One of those campaign ads, which was created by the New York State Executive Chamber and funded by the state’s 2026 budget, cost between $15,000 and $20,000 and played on YouTube up to 1.5 million times over two weeks, as first reported by Politico. Concerns over whether the commercial clashed with a state law barring elected officials from appearing in ads paid for with state funds have arisen, but Hochul herself doesn’t appear in the ads.
“The state routinely engages in awareness and education campaigns on critical policy priorities and this campaign was designed in compliance with all ethics laws,” a spokesperson for Hochul’s office said.
The ads direct you to a state-run website promoting Hochul’s “Let Them Build” agenda about cutting red tape for new housing and infrastructure construction.
Hochul’s Republican challenger in the governor’s race and Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman responded to the ads with the following statement:
“All the ads in the world can’t overshadow the affordability crisis created on Kathy Hochul’s watch that sent taxes, utility bills, insurance premiums and everyday costs soaring,” Blakeman said.
Meanwhile, Hochul and the New York Democratic Party have continued efforts trying to link Blakeman to President Donald Trump’s policies, including new ads focused on financial harms connected to tariffs, PIX11 reports.
Former Republican nominee for New York governor Lewis Lehrman died at age 87
Lewis Lehrman, former Rite Aid president and Republican nominee for New York governor in 1982, died on March 11, 2026, at 87 years old after a battle with Parkinson’s disease, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announced.
Lehrman came close to defeating Democratic candidate Mario Cuomo, who ended up serving three consecutive terms, and ran on a ticket of instituting a 10% income tax for all and tying American currency to the value of gold, the New York Times reported. He returned to the business world in 1987, serving as Morgan Stanley’s managing director and chief operating officer of Morgan Stanley Asset Management for three years before leaving to found his own investment company.
Lehrman then co-founded the Institute in 1994 with businessman Richard Gilder to improve how American history was taught and learned through educational programs and resources.
New York Republican State Committee Chair Ed Cox called Lehrman “a visionary entrepreneur, a passionate student of American history, and a principled conservative whose ideas helped shape the modern Republican movement.”
“Lew brought the same energy and conviction to everything he did, from helping build Rite Aid into one of the nation’s largest drugstore chains to promoting the study of American history through the Gilder Lehrman Institute,” Cox added. “He believed deeply in the promise of our country and dedicated much of his life and resources to preserving and teaching its history.”
NY climate law battle, congressman sues over utility rate hikes
If you need to catch up on headlines this week, here are some additional topics related to the governor’s race that the USA TODAY Network-New York has reported on:
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hochul ad campaign, climate law battle top NY governor’s race this week
Reporting by Emily Barnes, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
