2022 New York gubernatorial election


The 2022 New York gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022 to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of New York.
In August 2021, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul ascended to the governorship after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment. A Democrat, Hochul sought a full term as governor in 2022. Hochul defeated Jumaane Williams and Tom Suozzi in the June 28, 2022 Democratic primary for governor. Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado—who had been appointed lieutenant governor by Hochul earlier in 2022 to fill a vacancy—defeated Ana Maria Archila and Diana Reyna in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.
Lee Zeldin ran as the Republican nominee, having defeated Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani, and Harry Wilson in the Republican primary. Zeldin selected Alison Esposito, an NYPD officer, as his running mate. Esposito won unopposed in the primary for lieutenant governor, becoming the first openly gay major party nominee for statewide office in New York. 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.
On Election Day, Hochul won a full term in office. She defeated Zeldin by a margin of 53.1%-46.7% and became the first woman elected to the state's governorship. The election was New York's closest gubernatorial election since 1994.

Democratic primary

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 sworn in as governor of New York on August 24, 2021. 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 12, 2021, Newsday reported that Hochul had raised $10 million in campaign donations since taking office as governor. 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.
In early December, James withdrew her gubernatorial candidacy and chose to seek re-election as attorney general instead. 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.
On February 17, 2022, at the New York State Democratic Convention, Hochul was selected as the preferred Democratic candidate for governor of New York in 2022. At the convention, Hochul received 85.6% of the weighted vote, while Williams received 12.5%. Neither Williams nor Suozzi received sufficient support to obtain automatic ballot access and force a primary election; however, both candidates later gathered sufficient signatures to qualify for the Democratic primary ballot.
On June 28, 2022, Hochul won the Democratic gubernatorial primary with 67.6% of the vote, defeating Williams and Suozzi.

Governor

Candidates

Nominee

Polling

Source of poll
aggregation
Dates
administered
Dates
updated
Kathy
Hochul
Tom
Suozzi
Jumaane
Williams
Other
Margin
Real Clear PoliticsJune 6–20, 2022June 22, 202258.5%18.0%14.5%9.0%Hochul +40.5

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Steven
Bellone
Preet
Bharara
Alessandra
Biaggi
Andrew
Cuomo
Bill
Thomas
DiNapoli
Kathryn
Garcia
Kirsten
Gillibrand
Kathy
Hochul
Letitia
James
Sean Patrick
Maloney
Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez
Tom
Suozzi
Scott
Stringer
Jumaane
Williams
OtherUndecided
Siena CollegeMarch 20–24, 2022369 ± 5.5%30%38%10%7%1%14%
Emerson CollegeMarch 9–10, 2022504 ± 4.3%33%37%7%4%9%9%
Zogby AnalyticsJanuary 21–24, 2022413 ± 4.8%20%41%7%13%5%14%
Data for Progress November 16–17, 2021528 ± 4.0%15%3%36%22%6%7%11%
Data for Progress November 16–17, 2021528 ± 4.0%27%64%9%
Siena CollegeOctober 10–14, 2021419 ± 5.4%17%6%31%14%7%2%23%
Marist CollegeOctober 4–7, 2021389 ± 6.9%19%36%24%9%12%
co/efficient August 15–16, 2021814 ± 3.4%45%26%30%-
Slingshot Strategies August 6–7, 2021600 ± 4.0%2%4%1%26%3%3%6%6%4%9%2%8%2%3%2%19%
Slingshot Strategies August 6–7, 2021600 ± 4.0%3%6%2%5%3%8%10%6%13%3%10%2%4%4%22%
Zogby AnalyticsFebruary 3–5, 2021316 ± 5.5%65%22%13%
Zogby AnalyticsFebruary 3–5, 2021316 ± 5.5%67%24%9%

Lieutenant governor

On April 12, 2022, incumbent lieutenant governor Brian Benjamin resigned from office after being arrested for campaign finance violations. 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.

Candidates

Nominee

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.
In June 2021, Zeldin was named the presumed nominee of the New York's Republican Party by state chairman Nick Langworthy after he earned 85 percent of a straw poll vote of county leaders, and was also called the presumptive nominee of the Conservative Party by Conservative state chairman Gerard Kassar. 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, Astorino, and Wilson.

Governor

Candidates

Nominee

Polling

Source of poll
aggregation
Dates
administered
Dates
updated
Lee ZeldinAndrew GiulianiRob AstorinoHarry WilsonOther
Margin
Real Clear PoliticsJune 6–20, 2022June 22, 202232.5%20.0%15.5%16.5%24.3%Zeldin +12.5

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.

Governor

Designee

Lieutenant governor

Designee

Working Families primary

On February 8, 2022, the Working Families Party endorsed New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for the governorship. On February 28, 2022, the party announced that its preferred candidate for lieutenant governor was activist Ana Maria Archila.
Following Hochul and Delgado's respective wins in the Democratic gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primary, the party filed to put the two Democratic nominees on the Working Families ballot line.

Governor

Designee

Withdrawn

Lieutenant governor

Designee

Withdrawn

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. Among the parties who submitted rejected petitions:

Libertarian Party

On February 16, 2022, Larry Sharpe, the Libertarian Party's candidate for governor of New York in 2018, officially announced his campaign to run for governor of New York on Kennedy. 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.

Governor

Disqualified

Lieutenant governor

Disqualified
  • Andrew Hollister, Libertarian nominee for lieutenant governor in 2018

Green Party

On April 25, 2022, Howie Hawkins, who had run for numerous elected offices including Governor of New York, launched his campaign. In July 2022, the New York State Board of Elections disqualified Hawkins for not meeting the qualifications for ballot access.

Governor

Disqualified

Lieutenant governor

Disqualified

Additional parties

  • Freedom Party – a petition was filed with the New York State Board of Elections with Skiboky Stora, a 2021 candidate for mayor of New York City, running for governor. 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.
  • Independence Party of New York – a petition was filed with the New York State Board of Elections, with the Republican slate seeking to restore the Independence Party line. The party had lost ballot status in 2020. On July 14, 2022, the Board of Elections denied the petitions submitted by the Zeldin campaign, due to contested signatures.
  • 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

Polling

Aggregate polls

Kathy Hochul vs. Rob Astorino

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Kathy
Hochul
Rob
Astorino
Larry
Sharpe
Undecided
SurveyUSAJune 15–20, 20222,152 ± 2.7%55%28%17%
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%54%35%11%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%51%34%16%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%49%35%16%
Zogby AnalyticsJanuary 21–24, 2022869 ± 3.3%45%27%6%22%

Kathy Hochul vs. Andrew Giuliani

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Kathy
Hochul
Andrew
Giuliani
Undecided
SurveyUSAJune 15–20, 20222,152 ± 2.7%56%30%15%
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%54%35%11%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%52%33%15%

Kathy Hochul vs. Harry Wilson

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Kathy
Hochul
Harry
Wilson
Larry
Sharpe
Undecided
SurveyUSAJune 15–20, 20222,152 ± 2.8%54%29%17%
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%51%32%5%12%
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%53%36%11%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%50%30%4%16%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%51%32%17%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%50%34%16%

Tom Suozzi vs. Harry Wilson

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Tom
Suozzi
Harry
Wilson
Undecided
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%50%34%17%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%45%31%24%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%44%32%25%

Tom Suozzi vs. Lee Zeldin

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Tom
Suozzi
Lee
Zeldin
Undecided
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%48%36%16%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%43%34%23%

Jumaane Williams vs. Rob Astorino

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Jumaane
Williams
Rob
Astorino
Undecided
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%48%36%17%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%43%33%24%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%43%35%22%

Jumaane Williams vs. Andrew Giuliani

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Jumaane
Williams
Andrew
Giuliani
Undecided
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%49%36%15%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%45%35%20%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%46%33%22%

Jumaane Williams vs. Harry Wilson

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Jumaane
Williams
Harry
Wilson
Undecided
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%45%37%18%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%41%34%25%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%42%34%24%

Jumaane Williams vs. Lee Zeldin

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Jumaane
Williams
Lee
Zeldin
Undecided
John Zogby StrategiesMay 18–20, 20221,007 ± 3.2%47%37%16%
John Zogby StrategiesApril 10, 20221,001 ± 3.2%43%36%21%
John Zogby StrategiesMarch 3, 20221,003 ± 3.2%43%36%22%

Andrew Cuomo vs. Rob Astorino

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo
Rob
Astorino
Larry
Sharpe
Undecided
Zogby AnalyticsJanuary 21–24, 2022869 ± 3.3%34%31%7%28%

Andrew Cuomo vs. Elise Stefanik

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo
Elise
Stefanik
Undecided
Zogby AnalyticsFebruary 3–5, 2021810 ± 3.4%49%37%14%

Andrew Cuomo vs. Lee Zeldin

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo
Lee
Zeldin
Larry
Sharpe
Undecided
Trafalgar Group October 27–31, 20221198 ± 2.9%55%45%
Data for Progress March 30 – April 4, 2022947 ± 3.0%44%41%15%
Zogby AnalyticsJanuary 21–24, 2022869 ± 3.3%34%31%7%28%

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vs. Elise Stefanik

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Alexandria
Elise
Stefanik
Undecided
Zogby AnalyticsFebruary 3–5, 2021810 ± 3.4%48%40%12%

Andrew Cuomo vs. generic Republican

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Andrew
Cuomo
Generic
Republican
Undecided
Siena CollegeMay 16–20, 2021793 ± 4%48%38%14%

Letitia James vs. generic Republican

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Letitia
James
Generic
Republican
Undecided
Siena CollegeMay 16–20, 2021793 ± 4%46%29%25%

Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Generic
Democrat
Generic
Republican
Undecided
Siena CollegeMay 16–20, 2021793 ± 4%55%29%16%

Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican with Andrew Cuomo as an independent

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Generic
Democrat
Generic
Republican
Andrew
Cuomo
Undecided
Emerson CollegeMay 1–3, 20221,000 ± 3.0%33%33%16%18%
Emerson CollegeMarch 9–10, 20221,000 ± 3.0%39%33%12%17%

Kathy Hochul vs. generic opponent

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Kathy
Hochul
Generic
Opponent
Undecided
Siena CollegeJune 7–13, 2022802 ± 3.9%46%44%10%
Siena CollegeApril 18–21, 2022806 ± 3.9%40%45%15%
Siena CollegeMarch 20–24, 2022804 ± 4.2%43%43%14%
Siena CollegeFebruary 14–17, 2022803 ± 3.9%47%38%15%

Antonio Delgado vs. Alison Esposito

Poll sourceDate
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Antonio
Delgado
Alison
Esposito
Undecided
Data for Progress October 26–28, 2022818 ± 3.0%52%41%7%

Results

By county

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

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.
DistrictHochulZeldinCity-Council member
1st76.7%23.2%Christopher Marte
2nd83.0%16.8%Carlina Rivera
3rd84.0%15.8%Erik Bottcher
4th73.1%26.7%Keith Powers
5th77.2%22.7%Julie Menin
6th85.1%14.8%Gale Brewer
7th88.6%11.2%Shaun Abreu
8th84.8%15.1%Diana Ayala
9th92.9%6.9%Kristin Richardson Jordan
10th82.2%17.7%Carmen De La Rosa
11th74.4%25.5%Eric Dinowitz
12th90.3%9.7%Kevin Riley
13th53.1%46.9%Marjorie Velázquez
14th78.3%21.7%Pierina Sanchez
15th80.7%19.2%Oswald Feliz
16th84.8%15.2%Althea Stevens
17th83.1%16.8%Rafael Salamanca
18th86.7%12.6%Amanda Farías
19th43.0%57.0%Vickie Paladino
20th50.1%49.9%Sandra Ung
21st70.1%29.9%Francisco Moya
22nd70.9%29.0%Tiffany Cabán
23rd59.4%40.6%Linda Lee
24th56.0%44.0%James F. Gennaro
25th66.6%33.3%Shekar Krishnan
26th75.9%24.0%Julie Won
27th91.2%8.8%Nantasha Williams
28th81.7%18.3%Adrienne Adams
29th60.3%39.6%Lynn Schulman
30th42.0%58.0%Robert Holden
31st82.2%17.8%Selvena Brooks-Powers
32nd41.6%58.4%Joann Ariola
33rd74.3%25.6%Lincoln Restler
34th84.8%15.2%Jennifer Gutiérrez
35th90.0%9.9%Crystal Hudson
36th94.2%5.6%Chi Ossé
37th84.9%15.1%Sandy Nurse
38th69.8%30.1%Alexa Avilés
39th83.0%16.9%Shahana Hanif
40th91.0%8.9%Rita Joseph
41st92.1%7.9%Darlene Mealy
42nd91.7%8.3%Charles Barron
43rd47.5%52.4%Justin Brannan
44th15.2%84.8%Kalman Yeger
45th76.2%23.8%Farah Louis
46th65.3%34.7%Mercedes Narcisse
47th36.7%63.3%Ari Kagan
48th26.7%73.2%Inna Vernikov
49th58.9%41.1%Kamillah Hanks
50th29.7%70.3%Steven Matteo
51st19.3%80.6%Joe Borelli

By congressional district

Hochul won 14 of 26 congressional districts, with the remaining 12 going to Zeldin, including one that elected a Democrat.
DistrictHochulZeldinRepresentative
43%57%Lee Zeldin
43%57%Nick LaLota
39%61%Andrew Garbarino
44%56%Tom Suozzi
44%56%George Santos
47%53%Kathleen Rice
47%53%Anthony D'Esposito
73%27%Gregory Meeks
55%45%Grace Meng
76%24%Nydia Velázquez
69%30%Hakeem Jeffries
68%32%Yvette Clarke
81%19%Jerry Nadler
81%19%Dan Goldman
36%64%Nicole Malliotakis
80%20%Carolyn Maloney
80%20%Jerry Nadler
86%14%Adriano Espaillat
70%30%Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
80%20%Ritchie Torres
64%36%Jamaal Bowman
48%52%Mondaire Jones
48%52%Mike Lawler
49%51%Sean Patrick Maloney
49%51%Pat Ryan
47%53%Pat Ryan
47%53%Marc Molinaro
53%47%Paul Tonko
36%64%Elise Stefanik
47%53%Claudia Tenney
47%53%Brandon Williams
36%64%Joe Sempolinski
36%64%Nick Langworthy
34%66%John Katko
34%66%Claudia Tenney
53%47%Joe Morelle
57%43%Brian Higgins

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. Hochul's campaign ramped up in the final weeks in an effort to prevent an upset loss. She pivoted her messaging to focus more on crime. 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% and becoming the first woman elected to the state's governorship. 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, while Hochul won African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities.