New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday responded to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s suggestion that the governor’s weakness at the top of the ticket in the Empire State cost Democrats the House of Representatives.
“I will tell you this: No governor in the history of the state of New York has worked harder than I have to elect members of Congress,” Hochul told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We’re going to win this on the ground because I know how to do it. I have a chance to focus on this now.”
In an interview with POLITICO on Thursday, Pelosi blamed Hochul’s narrower-than-expected victory in the 2022 New York gubernatorial race for Democrats’ failure to maintain their House majority in that year’s election. New York Republicans flipped four Democratic-held seats in those midterms — races in which critics have suggested Hochul may have been a drag on down-ticket candidates.
When Pelosi asked him about that claim, the governor replied flatly: “I don’t agree with that.”
Hochul cited her efforts to begin raising money for the New York Democratic Party and pouring it into local counties, as well as ongoing coordination with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and hundreds of staffers across 35 offices.
Pelosi said Thursday that she had not spoken to Hochul about this year’s election but had consulted with Jeffries that morning. She stressed the importance of the “three M’s: mobilization, message and money.”
Hochul acknowledged Friday that she can “narrowly focus” on key purple districts, including Hudson Valley, Syracuse, Central New York and Long Island, now that “I myself am not a candidate this year.”
“We are going to win these races and win hard,” he said.
