Nicki Minaj called New York Gov. Kathy Hochul an evil woman and told her followers to vote her out, igniting a fresh round of celebrity-fueled drama in an already heated governor's race. The rapper posted the criticism on X on Wednesday, urging the Democratic Party to forfeit Hochul's seat altogether, and within hours Hochul and her Republican challenger were both firing back.
Minaj's post, cited and quoted by Newsday, did not hold back. “Kathy Hochul is an evil woman. The Democratic Party should forfeit her seat,” Minaj wrote, according to the outlet. She also told her followers to back Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican nominee challenging Hochul this fall, writing “Vote BLAKEMAN! @NassauExec,” as reported by TheWrap.
Hochul, speaking to reporters in Albany on Wednesday night, didn't shy away from addressing the rapper directly. “Get outside. And stop going to Trump rallies, it's kinda poisoning your mind,” Hochul said, per Newsday's report. The remark was a reference to Minaj's recent appearances alongside President Donald Trump, including a rally days earlier.
Blakeman Jumps Into the Fray
Blakeman wasted no time endorsing Minaj's broadside against the governor he's trying to unseat. “Nicki, I've got the U-Haul ready. It's time to fire the worst governor in America,” he wrote, according to Newsday. The exchange adds a celebrity flashpoint to a race that, according to the New York Times, pits Hochul, the Democratic incumbent, against Blakeman, the Republican chief executive of Nassau County, with early voting already underway and the election just over a week away.
Minaj's feud with Hochul traces back to a comment the governor made in 2024 while speaking at a forum during the Milken Institute Global Conference, in which she suggested Black children in the Bronx didn't know what the word computer means. Hochul later said she regretted the remark, telling reporters at the time, “I misspoke and I regret it,” according to NBC News. Hochul clarified that she meant Black children in the Bronx know perfectly well what computers are but often lack access to the technology.
Minaj's Trump Ties Run Deep
Minaj, who was raised in Queens and was born in Trinidad, has leaned increasingly into Republican politics in recent years. She recently joined Trump aboard Air Force One and appeared alongside him at a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25, Newsday reported. The BBC notes that the rapper has thrown her star power behind Trump on multiple occasions before this latest flashpoint.
Trump has also put his weight behind Blakeman's campaign, offering a high-profile endorsement, according to FOX 5 New York. Former Gov. George Pataki and the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association have also backed Blakeman, the station reports. On Hochul's side, the station identifies New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as her standout endorsement, noting his 47% favorability rating in one Siena poll.
Polling Shows Hochul Pulling Further Ahead
The celebrity sparring is unfolding as Hochul's numbers keep climbing. A Siena University poll found her leading Blakeman 54% to 40%, a 14-point margin that's grown from a 9-point edge just a month earlier, per Newsday's report on the survey. Siena polled 807 likely voters statewide from October 19 through October 22, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
The same survey found Hochul's advantage widening across the state. Her lead in New York City's five boroughs grew from 34 points to 44, with her now ahead 67% to 23%. Upstate, she flipped a 3-point deficit into a 1-point lead, 49% to 48%, and independent voters swung from favoring Blakeman by 5 points to favoring Hochul by 11. The polling also found voters viewed Trump's endorsement of Blakeman negatively by a 48% to 28% margin.
Mamdani's alliance with Hochul has become a visible part of her closing argument, with the Times describing their joint campaign appearances as reflecting a durable and surprising political partnership between the two. Whether Minaj's broadside moves the needle in the race's final days remains to be seen, but it has given both campaigns one more talking point heading into Election Day.
