What this office is
A governor is the state’s chief executive. Typical duties include proposing a budget, signing or vetoing bills, appointing some officials, and commanding the state National Guard under state and federal law. Term length and term limits are set by each state’s constitution. Lieutenant-governor pairing, if any, follows that state’s ballot design.
Why it matters in 2026
Cook rated the race Solid Democratic as of August 2026. Names on this page are the Board of Elections certification.
Names below are taken from the election-office list cited on each card. Party labels follow that list. This page is not a certification.
- Source: New York State Board of Elections, amended certification for the November 3, 2026 general election (October 7, 2026) · accessed October 16, 2026
- Source: Cook Political Report, 2026 governor race ratings · accessed September 17, 2026
Candidates
Names below are taken from the election-office list cited on each card. Party labels follow that list. This page is not a certification.

The State Board of Elections certification names Kathy C. Hochul for governor and Adrienne E. Adams for lieutenant governor on the Democratic line and on the Working Families line.
Read more:Election-office list
- Source: New York State Board of Elections, amended certification for the November 3, 2026 general election (October 7, 2026) · accessed October 16, 2026
Photo: KC Kratt, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for this site and shown cropped to a square. Saved as WebP. If the short side was wider than 320 pixels, it was reduced to 320.
The State Board of Elections certification names Bruce A. Blakeman for governor and Todd Hood for lieutenant governor on the Republican, Conservative, and Vote Affordable lines.
Read more:Election-office list
- Source: New York State Board of Elections, amended certification for the November 3, 2026 general election (October 7, 2026) · accessed October 16, 2026
