Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and GOP Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman traded fierce accusations and nuanced claims during Tuesday night’s hour-long debate hosted by Spectrum News NY1.
The rivals sparred over immigration, sexual assault laws, taxes, crime, energy and New York’s business climate.
Below, The Post breaks down some of the most notable allegations by each candidate.
The claim: Hochul alleges agreements between municipalities and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) permit “rogue agents roaming the streets”
This comment came while Hochul was attacking Blakeman over Nassau County’s so-called 287(g) agreement with the feds, referring to the relevant section of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.
Our verdict: Mostly false. Nassau County’s deal with ICE allowed county cops to operate as deputized federal agents to enforce immigration crimes before Hochul enacted sanctuary legislation earlier this year. Nearly a dozen other localities in the state have a working relationship with ICE, but their activities are strictly limited to allowing correctional facilities to run detainee names through a federal database.
The claim: The 2,000 corrections officers Hochul fired during last year’s strike were conducting an illegal work stoppage
Responding to a question about her handling of a staffing crisis in the state prison system, Hochul said she would “sure as hell fire them” again if faced with thousands of workers walking off the job.
“They walked out the door and shut it,” said the governor, later adding: “You violated the law. Shame on you.”
Our verdict: Half-true. While public sector unions in New York are barred by the Taylor Law from striking while they have a contract in place, many of the corrections officers Hochul fired were never supposed to be dismissed and ultimately got their jobs back.
Of the 2,000 guards shown the door, 848 had been rehired as of November 2025, a Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesperson told The Post at the time. Many of those have claimed they were on pre-approved medical leave and were swept up in Hochul’s action.
The claim: Blakeman vows to cut utility bills in half in part by permitting fracking
Blakeman said he “would extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale,” the massive rock formation covering large parts of upstate New York, in an attempt to drive down rapidly increasing energy prices.
Our verdict: Highly unlikely. Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order banning fracking in 2014, which the legislature codified in 2021. Even if Blakeman pulls off an upset Nov. 3, overcoming a likely Democratic majority to implement such a controversial policy would be a challenge.
The claim: Blakeman says Hochul was previously endorsed by the National Rifle Association and opposed drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants
In response to the governor attacking him over votes to raise property taxes while a county legislator in 1998 and 1999, Blakeman accused Hochul of changing her stances from her tenure representing part of Western New York in Congress between 2011 and 2013.
“You didn’t want to give illegal migrants driver’s licenses [back then], now you’re giving it to them,” Blakeman argued. “Property taxes? You’re going to talk about something I did 28 years ago.”
Our verdict: True. Hochul received an “A” rating from the NRA during her unsuccessful 2012 congressional campaign, during which she also talked up her opposition to then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s 2007 executive order undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses without proving legal residency.
The previous year, Hochul made a point of saying “I led the fight against giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses” in a campaign ad. The future governor ultimately won an upset special election victory to replace former Rep. Chris Lee (R-NY), who had resigned after being caught sending salacious emails and a shirtless picture to a potential hookup he met on Craigslist.
