Kathy Hochul

Democratic Platform

Democrats support progressive taxation, with higher rates on top earners and corporations to fund public investment. The party favors raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and expanding worker protections. Democrats generally support government investment in infrastructure, education, and social programs as drivers of broad economic growth.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul has focused on housing production, infrastructure investment, and attracting technology and semiconductor manufacturing to New York. She played a central role in securing the CHIPS Act investment that brought a major TSMC semiconductor plant to upstate New York. She has backed workforce development and supports tax policies that fund public investment while keeping New York competitive for businesses.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans favor lower taxes across income levels, with particular emphasis on cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate investment and job creation. The party supports deregulation, reduced government spending, and free market solutions over federal programs as the primary engine of prosperity.

Democratic Platform

Democrats support expanding access to affordable healthcare, including protecting the Affordable Care Act and moving toward a public option or expanded Medicare coverage. The party broadly favors government negotiation of prescription drug prices and opposes removing protections for pre-existing conditions.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul supports broad healthcare access and has defended abortion rights following the Dobbs decision, signing legislation to strengthen New York's abortion protections. She has backed Medicaid expansion, expanded access to mental health services, and supported legislation to lower prescription drug costs. New York's Medicaid program is among the most expansive in the nation.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans have generally sought to repeal or significantly reform the Affordable Care Act, favoring market-based solutions. The party supports expanding health savings accounts, increasing competition among insurers across state lines, and reducing federal mandates on coverage requirements.

Democratic Platform

Democrats generally support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, and favor comprehensive immigration reform. The party supports increased resources for legal immigration processing and a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers at the border.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul has taken a complex position on immigration, supporting pathways to legal status for long-term undocumented residents while also calling on the federal government to take responsibility for the migrant influx that placed significant strain on New York City's shelter system from 2022 to 2024. She has criticized both federal inaction and what she views as the politicization of migration by other governors.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans prioritize border security and strict enforcement of existing immigration law. The party broadly supports completing physical border barriers, ending policies they view as incentivizing illegal entry, and reforming legal immigration to favor applicants with marketable skills.

Democratic Platform

Democrats favor robust federal investment in public K-12 education and higher education, along with policies to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. The party generally opposes using public funds for private school vouchers and supports universal pre-K and affordable childcare.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul has backed significant increases in school funding under New York's Foundation Aid formula, which directed billions in additional funding to the state's lowest-income school districts. She supports universal pre-K expansion, affordable childcare, and has backed workforce training programs tied to semiconductor and technology investment.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans support school choice, including voucher programs for private and religious schools, and local control over curriculum decisions. The party generally opposes federal education mandates and broadly supports parental rights in schooling. Many Republicans oppose student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid their loans.

Democratic Platform

Democrats broadly support stricter gun safety measures, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The party frames these regulations as consistent with the Second Amendment and necessary to reduce mass shootings.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul has been one of the nation's most active governors on gun safety legislation. She signed legislation responding to the Supreme Court's Bruen decision that expanded the locations where concealed carry is permitted, establishing new sensitive location restrictions and enhanced licensing requirements. She has backed red flag laws, assault weapon restrictions, and ghost gun regulations.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans strongly defend Second Amendment rights and generally oppose new gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. The party emphasizes mental health intervention, the right to self-defense, and opposes what they view as infringement on law-abiding gun owners.

Democratic Platform

Democrats view climate change as an urgent crisis requiring immediate government action. The party supports transitioning to clean energy through federal investment and regulation, reducing carbon emissions across the economy, and meeting international climate commitments. Democrats generally oppose expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act implementation measures committing New York to 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2040. She has backed offshore wind development off the New York coast and has signed building decarbonization legislation requiring the phase-out of gas in new construction.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize American energy independence through domestic production of oil, gas, and coal alongside renewable development. Many in the party are skeptical of aggressive climate regulations they argue harm economic growth and jobs. Republicans generally prefer market-based energy solutions over government mandates and oppose restrictions that raise energy costs for families.

Democratic Platform

Democrats generally support a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing alliances, international institutions, and diplomacy as the first line of engagement. The party broadly supports maintaining NATO commitments, providing aid to democratic allies, and engaging international bodies to address shared challenges.

Kathy Hochul

As governor of a state with major international financial, trade, and diplomatic activity, Hochul has engaged federal foreign policy debates through New York's role as a global economic hub. She has backed U.S. support for Ukraine and democratic allies and has spoken about the importance of maintaining the international institutions that make New York's global economic role possible.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize American sovereignty, a strong military as a deterrent, and bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions. The party broadly supports robust defense spending and is skeptical of international agreements they view as constraining American action or requiring open-ended foreign commitments.

Democratic Platform

Democrats oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits and support expanding both programs. The party generally favors raising the Social Security payroll tax cap on high earners to ensure long-term solvency and opposes any form of privatization.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul has publicly opposed federal proposals to cut Social Security or Medicare benefits, arguing these programs are essential to New York's large and diverse retiree population. She has supported state programs providing cost-of-living relief for seniors and has backed federal legislation to protect both programs from benefit reductions.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans support reforming Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term fiscal solvency, which some in the party argue requires adjusting benefits or eligibility ages. The party opposes tax increases to fund the programs and some members have supported personal investment account options.

Democratic Platform

Democrats broadly support criminal justice reform, including reducing mandatory minimum sentences, addressing racial disparities in policing and incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. The party generally supports police accountability measures and evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism.

Kathy Hochul

Governor Hochul has pursued a balanced approach to criminal justice, backing some modifications to New York's bail reform law in response to public safety concerns while also supporting reforms that reduce racial disparities and barriers to reentry. She has increased resources for law enforcement and backed community violence intervention programs alongside enforcement efforts.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize law and order, strong support for law enforcement, and tough penalties for crime. The party generally opposes reducing mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenses and supports prosecutors pursuing strong sentences. Republicans broadly oppose policies they view as undermining police authority or creating leniency for criminals.