Albany — Former President Barack Obama is on the airwaves in support of Governor Hochul.
The 44th president of the United States will be featured in Ho Chul’s campaign in a new radio ad released Friday, urging New Yorkers to head to the polls and vote for the Democratic incumbent.
“I believe my friend Gov. Kathy Hochul is the perfect person for the job,” Obama said in a one-minute spot. “Kathy knows how to get things done. She’s a strong leader and she’s had the moment and fought for you.”
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High-profile endorsements from former leaders of the free world come the day before early voting begins in the Empire State.
Ho-chul is fighting tougher-than-expected competition against Republican challenger Lee Zeldin.
A poll by Democratic consulting firm Slingshot Strategies released Friday showed Hochul beating Zeldin 48% to 42%, with a 6-point lead less than two weeks before Election Day. An Emerson College poll put Hochol at 50% and Zeldin at 44% for him.
“I’m the underdog in this race,” Hochul declared after Friday’s press conference, tweaking the lines he used throughout the campaign.
The governor’s campaign released updated funding figures on Friday, showing it has $5.95 million left in its coffers after raising $49.2 million since taking office in August 2021.
Both candidates are hitting the pavement, deploying high-profile supporters and flooding the airwaves with new ads in the final week of the campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 election.
In a newly released ad, Obama touts Ho Chul’s goodwill and accomplishments on a range of issues.
“Kathy is strengthening the economy, investing in public safety, and keeping illegal guns off the streets,” he says. “And you can count on her to protect her abortion rights, her voting rights, and all the things you care about.
“So don’t sit on this one. Your vote matters,” he adds.
Ho-Chol, who succeeded former Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year, is aiming to become the Empire State’s first female elected governor.
The Buffalo native’s ties to Obama include her nomination for the state’s Director of Financial Services.
The governor appointed Adrian Harris, who served as the White House Special Assistant for Economic Policy during the Obama administration, to serve as supervisor for state agencies that oversee insurance, financial services and banking regulation.
Meanwhile, Zeldin, a Long Island lawmaker with close ties to former President Donald Trump, announced that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will attend a rally in Suffolk County on Saturday.
DeSantis was originally scheduled to do a fundraiser with Zeldin over the summer, but had to decline the event in order to attend the service due to the death of a Florida Law Enforcement Department employee in the line of duty.
In addition to Obama, Ho-chol will team up with former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton next week, City & State first reported.
Clinton joined Attorney General Letitia James, Rep. Nidia Velázquez (DN.Y.), and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins (D-Yonkers) at Thursday’s voting “women’s rally.” ‘ will join the governor. Barnard College in Manhattan.
