Gov. Kathy Hochul spent about an hour inside Doves Diner in Ancram, ordering the restaurant's coffee cake and shaking hands with voters as she makes her case for a second full term leading New York. The stop came as the Democrat campaigns against Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman with fresh statewide polling showing her holding a commanding lead heading into the final stretch of the race.
According to The Daily Gazette, Hochul spoke with local Democratic officials and town committee leaders during the visit as she seeks a second full term as governor. Assemblymember Didi Barrett, who represents District 106, recommended Doves Diner to the governor's team ahead of the stop, the paper reported.
Several other local officials were on hand, including Ancram Town Supervisor Colleen Lutz, Hillsdale Town Supervisor Michael Dvorchak, and Taghkanic town supervisor candidate John Lewis. State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, who represents District 41, was also present, as was Hudson Mayor Joseph Ferris, who thanked Hochul for state support of the Bliss Towers affordable housing project and the Furgary Park redevelopment, per the same account.
Voters Weigh In Over Coffee Cake
Not everyone in the diner was a supporter. Voter Jacqui Malouf, who said she cannot vote for Hochul, told the paper she had driven to Doves Diner with Veronica Newton after the two decided the night before to go to the diner; their visit was a coincidence rather than a planned effort to see Hochul in person. Malouf compared New York and California as states she sees sharing similar political qualities and struggles, saying California gasoline costs almost $8 per gallon while New York gas at $4 per gallon seemed cheap to her by comparison.
Newton, who made the trip with Malouf, said meeting Hochul gave her reassurance about the upcoming election, the outlet reported. The contrasting reactions from the two diner-goers reflected the broader split playing out in a race that polling suggests is not especially close statewide.
Polls Show Hochul With Double-Digit Lead
The diner visit landed amid a wave of survey data putting Hochul well ahead of Blakeman. A poll from the Marist Poll, conducted October 22 through October 25 among 1,448 registered New York voters, found Hochul leading Blakeman 53% to 42% among likely voters statewide, with a 14-point advantage among registered voters. The same poll found 71% of likely voters expect Hochul to win reelection, even as her favorability sat underwater at 41% favorable to 51% unfavorable.
A separate survey from the Siena Research Institute, conducted October 19 through October 22 among 807 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points, put Hochul's lead at 54% to 40%, up from a 9-point edge in September. Siena found Hochul ahead by 11 points among independents and found that 68% of likely voters expected her to win, compared with 23% who picked Blakeman. The Marist and Siena surveys used different samples and methodologies, which helps explain why their topline numbers diverge even as both point to a wide lead for the incumbent.
As ABC7 New York reported, Hochul has centered her closing message on economic growth and job creation, while Blakeman has made repealing congestion pricing a central plank of his platform. The station noted that several polls show Hochul ahead by double digits heading into the final days of the race.
License-Plate Cameras Raise Questions
Not all of the conversation at Doves Diner stayed on polling. Former 3rd Ward Hudson Supervisor Michael Chameides discussed automated license-plate-reader cameras made by Flock Safety and raised questions about data ownership, according to the Gazette's report. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office purchased 10 of the cameras using state law-enforcement technology grants, and Flock Safety owns the data the cameras collect.
Chameides said he believes the county may be misusing those grant funds, the paper reported. Hochul, for her part, said data from grant-funded equipment cannot be shared with third parties, per the same account.
Immigration Enforcement Also Came Up
Iridian Riccobono Lucas, an immigration activist with the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, urged Hochul to crack down further on informal collusion between state law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Lucas said the governor acknowledged that New York's 287(g) agreement ban was an important step but recognized the need for more action, according to the diner conversation reported by the Gazette.
Barrett, who helped arrange the stop, said activists should share ideas and discuss what is and is not working, the outlet noted. The exchange capped an hour that mixed retail campaigning with the kind of granular local policy debate that rarely makes it into statewide polling numbers.
