A union representing tens of thousands of New York City subway and bus workers is spending tens of thousands of dollars on ads branding Gov. Kathy Hochul as politically toxic, timing the campaign to hit television screens the day before early voting opened across the state. The Transport Workers Union of America, which represents roughly 40,000 city subway and bus workers, launched the blitz as its members continue working under an MTA contract that lapsed in May.
The union began airing the new ads on Friday, Oct. 23, the day before early voting opened statewide, according to the New York Post. The union spent $60,000 on the latest round of advertisements, the paper reported, part of a far larger spending push that includes more than $450,000 already laid out by an affiliated group called Transport Workers Union Voice on television ads since it registered with New York State in July, according to state campaign finance records cited by the paper. A TWU-linked super PAC additionally plans to spend another $120,000 on television ads across the state, and the union has sent hundreds of thousands of mailers to trade-union families in New York, per the same account.
A Veto Over Subway Staffing Sparked the Fight
The union's anger traces back to Hochul's decision to veto a bill that would have required a conductor on every subway train in addition to a train operator. Hochul said at the time that the measure could cost as much as $10 million annually, reduce service, and limit the MTA's ability to modernize, the station's report notes. Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman criticized the veto, saying it put riders and transit workers at risk, per the same account.
The union's current ads reportedly accuse Hochul of being a disaster for working New Yorkers and a major drag on Democratic campaigns up and down the ballot, claiming she has become so radioactive that Democratic candidates are running from her. The ads reference NY-17 Democratic candidate Cait Conley's on-video agreement with her Republican opponent that Hochul had to go, and point to Tom Suozzi's absence from a campaign event with Hochul, the report states. TWU international president John Samuelsen said Hochul's attacks on trade unions made her toxic and could reduce Democrats' willingness to support her, the outlet reported. The ads also highlighted Democratic candidates distancing themselves from Hochul.
A History of Aggressive Union Campaigns
Samuelsen has a track record of waging loud public fights against New York politicians. He previously led a $1 million advertising campaign attacking former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, according to City & State New York. Hochul has also been confronted by groups of TWU protesters at transit-related events, the outlet reported, describing a pattern of public pressure that predates the current ad campaign. The union, which has roughly 165,000 members nationally under Samuelsen's leadership, has clashed with Hochul even though TWU Local 100 endorsed her in 2022 and the union contributed more than $175,000 to her campaign accounts between 2018 and 2024, per the New York Post.
A Hochul campaign representative pushed back, saying the governor comes from a union family and has supported workers, union jobs, pay, and working conditions throughout her tenure. The representative said Hochul has earned support from more than 30 New York unions and described Blakeman as “100% MAGA,” adding he could not be trusted to protect rights, healthcare, or reduce costs, according to the Post's reporting. The dispute comes even as Hochul has picked up other labor support this fall: three skilled-trades unions representing roughly 61,000 members endorsed her for a second full term, and she sealed the backing of the New York State Building & Construction Trades Council in September, according to Commercial Observer.
A Crowded, Costly Race Heading Into November
The TWU's spending is a small slice of a much bigger advertising war playing out ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, according to City & State and POLITICO. An Uber-backed super PAC has received just over $3 million and spent more than $2.6 million on television and digital ads supporting Hochul, while a Democratic Governors Association-run committee dropped nearly $3.2 million on a television buy supporting her and criticizing Blakeman, according to City & State New York. The New York Apartment Association gave $3 million to its own committee, which spent more than $2.5 million opposing Blakeman, while a coalition of public-sector labor unions spent $265,000 on digital ads against him, the outlet reported.
Separately, a group called Leadership for New York launched its own pro-Hochul ad campaign and plans to spend roughly $3 million airing spots, while an Uber-backed super PAC has signaled plans to spend $2.5 million supporting her second-term bid, according to POLITICO. Hochul is defending a lead in the race: a recent Marist poll had her ahead of Blakeman 53% to 42% among voters, Commercial Observer reported. That cushion is notably larger than her 2022 margin, when Republican Lee Zeldin came within six points of unseating her, according to POLITICO.
