2022 New York gubernatorial election

In August 2021, after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation, then-Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul announced that she would run for governor in 2022. Hochul was elected to the position of lieutenant governor in 2014, and was re-elected in 2018; in both elections, she was Cuomo's running mate. New York Attorney General Letitia James garnered attention for releasing a report on her office's investigation into alleged sexual harassment by Cuomo; the release of this report helped lead to Cuomo's resignation in August 2021. James announced her gubernatorial campaign in October 2021 and was considered a formidable challenger to Hochul. On November 16, 2021, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, described by CNN as "a progressive favorite from Brooklyn", announced his 2022 gubernatorial bid. Williams had run for lieutenant governor against Hochul in 2018, losing a close race. On November 29, 2021, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi of Long Island announced that he was running for governor. According to The New York Times, Suozzi was known as a "vocal centrist" and announced an intent to bill himself as a "'common-sense Democrat'". Suozzi was considered to have the potential to siphon votes away from Hochul. James' withdrawal from the race was seen as a positive development for Hochul, as James had been considered the second-strongest candidate in the race. The exit of James boosted the campaign of Williams, who became the only major candidate from New York City and the clear choice for the left wing of the Democratic Party. however, both candidates later gathered sufficient signatures to qualify for the Democratic primary ballot. Eliminated in primary • Tom Suozzi, U.S. representative for (2017–2023) and candidate in 2006 Withdrew • Andrew Cuomo, former governor of New York (2011–2021) • Letitia James, Attorney General of New York (2019–present) (running for re-election) Declined • Charles Barron, New York City Councilmember from the 42nd district (2002–2013, 2021–present); state assembly member from the 60th District (2015–present) • Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City (2014–2021); candidate for president of the United States in 2020 • Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller (2007–present) (running for re-election) • Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. senator from New York (2009–present); candidate for president of the United States in 2020 (endorsed Hochul) • Svante Myrick, mayor of Ithaca (2012–2022) • Cynthia Nixon, actress, activist and candidate for governor of New York in 2018 • Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York City Council (2006–2013) • Jessica Ramos, state senator from the 13th district (2019–present) • Kathleen Rice, U.S. representative for NY-04 (2015–present) (endorsed Hochul) • Al Sharpton, civil rights activist • Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Majority Leader of the New York State Senate (2019–present); state senator from the 35th district (2007–present) (endorsed Hochul) (running for reelection) On May 3, 2022, Hochul announced her intent to appoint Representative Antonio Delgado to the position of lieutenant governor. He was sworn in on May 25. Delgado ran for lieutenant governor in the June 2022 primary, winning by a large margin. Withdrawn • Brian Benjamin, lieutenant governor of New York (2021–2022), state senator from the 30th district (2017–2021); candidate for New York City Comptroller in 2021 Declined • Svante Myrick, mayor of Ithaca (2012–2022) Endorsements Results ==Republican primary==

In June 2020, Lewis County sheriff Mike Carpinelli became the first Republican to enter the race. He was the only announced challenger until Long Island congressman Lee Zeldin announced his own campaign in April 2021. By the end of April, Zeldin had announced that the Republican Party chairs of Erie County and Niagara County had endorsed his campaign, giving him the necessary 50% of state committee support to gain the Republican nomination. Trump administration official Andrew Giuliani and 2014 New York gubernatorial nominee Rob Astorino made campaign announcements the following month. Contractor and podcast host Derrick Gibson also entered the race. As of February 2022, Zeldin had received the endorsements of 59 of New York's 62 county Republican committees. In February 2022, shortly before the Republican convention, businessman Harry Wilson announced his candidacy for governor of New York. Wilson stated that he intended to invest $12 million of his own money in the race. At the Republican convention in Nassau County, Zeldin received 85 percent support from the party's voting committee members, with Astorino and Wilson each receiving 7 percent of the vote and Giuliani receiving less than one percent. On June 28, 2022, the primary election was held. Zeldin prevailed, receiving the most votes in 48 of New York's 62 counties and earning 76% of the vote in his native Suffolk County. Zeldin received 43.6% of the vote, defeating Giuliani (22.9%), Astorino (18.7%), and Wilson (14.8%). (running with Alison Esposito) • Andrew Giuliani, former special assistant to the president, Newsmax TV contributor, and son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani • Harry Wilson, businessman and nominee for comptroller in 2010 Withdrawn • Mike Carpinelli, Lewis County sheriff (endorsed Giuliani) Declined • John Catsimatidis, businessman, owner of WABC radio and Gristedes Foods, and 2013 candidate for mayor of New York City • Joel Giambra, Erie County executive (2000–2007) (seeking New York State Senate seat) • John Katko, U.S. representative for NY-24 (2015–2023) (endorsed Zeldin) • Marc Molinaro, Dutchess County executive (2012–present), state assembly member from the 103rd District (2007–2011), and gubernatorial nominee in 2018 (endorsed Zeldin) (running for U.S. House) • George Pataki, governor of New York (1995–2006) • Tom Reed, U.S. representative for NY-23 (2010–2022) Endorsements Debates Polling --> Results Lieutenant governor Zeldin selected Alison Esposito, an NYPD officer, as his running mate, and she won unopposed in the primary. Esposito is the first openly gay major party nominee for statewide office in New York. Nominee • Alison Esposito, former NYPD Deputy Inspector and commanding officer of Brooklyn's 70th Precinct == Conservative primary ==

At the 2022 Conservative Party convention, the party endorsed Congressman Lee Zeldin for governor and NYPD deputy inspector Alison Esposito for lieutenant governor. Lieutenant governor Designee • Alison Esposito, former New York City Police Department Deputy Inspector == Working Families primary ==

On February 8, 2022, the Working Families Party endorsed New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for the governorship. Governor Designee • Kathy Hochul, incumbent governor (2021–present) Lieutenant governor Designee • Antonio Delgado, lieutenant governor (2022–present), former U.S. representative from New York's 19th congressional district (2019–2022) Withdrawn • Ana Maria Archila, executive director of Center for Popular Democracy and co-founder of Make the Road New York == Other parties ==

In an unprecedented decision, the New York State Board of Elections rejected all petitions for non-qualified party ballot access in July 2022. He received his party's nomination at the convention in Albany on February 19, 2022. In July 2022, the New York State Board of Elections disqualified Sharpe for not meeting the qualifications for ballot access. Endorsements Lieutenant governor Disqualified • Andrew Hollister, Libertarian nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018 In July 2022, the New York State Board of Elections disqualified Hawkins for not meeting the qualifications for ballot access. On June 27, 2022, Stora's petition was ruled invalid at the New York State Board of Elections Commissioners' meeting. In July 2022, the Board of Elections rejected the party's petitions for ballot access. • New Visions Party – a petition was filed with the New York State Board of Elections, with Carol Seidelman running for governor and Benjamin Azah running for lieutenant governor. In July 2022, the Board of Elections rejected the party's petitions for ballot access. • Parent Party – a petition was filed with the New York State Board of Elections, with the Republican slate seeking to create the Parent Party line. The Parent Party endorsed Lee Zeldin and the Republican slate in May 2022. In July 2022, the Board of Elections rejected the party's petitions for ballot access. • Unite Party – a petition was filed with the New York State Board of Elections, with Harry Wilson running for governor and John Bullis running for lieutenant governor. In July 2022, the Board of Elections rejected the party's petitions for ballot access. ==General election==

Predictions Post-primary endorsements Debate Polling Aggregate polls Kathy Hochul vs. Rob Astorino Kathy Hochul vs. Andrew Giuliani Kathy Hochul vs. Harry Wilson Tom Suozzi vs. Harry Wilson Tom Suozzi vs. Lee Zeldin Jumaane Williams vs. Rob Astorino Jumaane Williams vs. Andrew Giuliani Jumaane Williams vs. Harry Wilson Jumaane Williams vs. Lee Zeldin Andrew Cuomo vs. Rob Astorino Andrew Cuomo vs. Elise Stefanik Andrew Cuomo vs. Lee Zeldin Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vs. Elise Stefanik Andrew Cuomo vs. generic Republican Letitia James vs. generic Republican Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican with Andrew Cuomo as an independent Kathy Hochul vs. generic opponent Antonio Delgado vs. Alison Esposito Results By county Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic • Columbia (largest municipality: Hudson) • Schenectady (largest municipality: Schenectady) Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican • Nassau (largest municipality: Town of Hempstead) • Richmond (coterminous with New York City's borough of Staten Island) • Rockland (largest municipality: New City) • Suffolk (largest municipality: Brookhaven) New York City results By New York City council district Hochul won 42 of 51 city council districts, while Zeldin won 9 of 51 city council districts, including three held by Democrats. By congressional district Hochul won 14 of 26 congressional districts, with the remaining 12 going to Zeldin, including one that elected a Democrat. ==Analysis==

In 2022, New York was a solidly Democratic state where Republicans had not won a statewide election since the 2002 election for governor of New York. The main focus of the election was crime. Zeldin accused Hochul of being weak on crime, promising to declare a statewide crime emergency and to repeal cashless bail, while Hochul attacked him for his ties to former president Donald Trump and to the anti-abortion movement. In October, the Associated Press stated that Zeldin's focus on crime was persuasive and was making the race closer; however, Hochul was still favored to prevail. She also reached out to the Working Families Party and campaigned with Democrats such as Hillary Clinton. On Election Day, Hochul won a full term in office, defeating Zeldin by a margin of 53.1%–46.7% The election was New York's closest gubernatorial election since 1994, and the closest Democratic win since 1982. Hochul was criticized for prevailing "by single digits and only after some of the biggest names in the Democratic Party traveled to New York in the election's final days to help her". Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed Hochul's lack of coattails for Democrats' poor showing in U.S. House races in New York in 2022 and, by extension, for contributing to the Democrats' loss of control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Specifically, Pelosi said that Hochul "'didn't realize soon enough where the trouble was'". Hochul disagreed with this criticism, stating that "'no governor in the history of the state of New York has worked harder to elect members of Congress'" than she had. Despite his loss, Zeldin's performance helped Republicans to flip four congressional seats in New York, contributing to the GOP's majority in the House of Representatives. Due to his overperformance, Zeldin was considered to be a potential challenger to Ronna McDaniel as chair of the Republican National Committee; however, he later declined to challenge McDaniel. This election was the first New York gubernatorial election in over 80 years not to feature any third-party candidates, although the Working Families Party endorsed Hochul and the Conservative Party endorsed Zeldin. Hochul won the city of New York with 69.8% to 30.2%, the latter being the highest vote percentage for a Republican since 2002. Zeldin carried voters outside New York City by a 54.1–45.9% margin and carried Upstate New York by a 54.6%–45.4% margin. Zeldin received the most votes for a Republican since 1970. Exit polls from Fox News Voter Analysis showed that Zeldin won White voters (54%–46%), while Hochul won African Americans (82%–17%), Latinos (64%–35%) (including Puerto Rican Americans (66%–33%)), and other minorities (58%–41%). ==Notes==