Annual State of the State addresses

Hochul has delivered her State of the State annually in January since 2022. The speeches have served as the most-studied marker of her policy agenda for each year.

The January 2023 address was the speech in which she introduced the indexed-minimum-wage proposal, the $1 billion mental health investment, the 800,000-home housing plan, the bail reform rollback proposal, and the SUNY/CUNY medication abortion proposal [1, 2]. Hochul described the bail reform rollback as eliminating the "least restrictive" standard for bail-eligible offenses while keeping it for "less serious" crimes.

The January 2024 address marked a pivot toward suburban moderates ahead of the 2024 midterms. Her closing line that New York "will never compromise on our progressive values" came after a speech otherwise focused on public safety, retail theft, illegal cannabis enforcement, and mental health [3]. The migrant crisis was conspicuously absent from the 204-proposal book despite being a dominant political issue.

The January 2025 address introduced the Inflation Refund ($3 billion), the largest Child Tax Credit expansion in program history (up to $1,000 per child under four), and a middle-class tax cut across five brackets [4]. The Unplug and Play social-media initiative for youth was also introduced [5].

Press conferences and regular availability

Hochul holds frequent press conferences and has been notably accessible to regional media. Her hochul.gov media page lists weekly appearances on LI News Radio with Jay Oliver, the New York State Association for Affordable Housing's annual conference, and similar regional outlets [6].

She has held formal press conferences on major news events, including, in November 2023, the Tops Buffalo shooting anniversary "Unity Summit"; in January 2025, multiple congestion pricing fights with the Trump administration; and in February 2026, her selection of Adrienne Adams as running mate.

Debates

Hochul has been notably selective about debate participation:

Hochul participated in the 2022 primary debate on WCBS-TV on June 7, 2022, where she debated Jumaane Williams and Tom Suozzi with her NRA "A" rating and the Bills stadium deal central to the questioning [7]. She participated in the 2022 general election debate against Lee Zeldin on October 25, 2022, the only general-election debate of that race, covering crime, abortion, Trump, asylum seekers, and gun control [8]. During the 2026 cycle, Hochul declined multiple invitations to debate Antonio Delgado during their brief Democratic primary period before he withdrew.

The Tops shooting and the Unity Summit

After the May 14, 2022, Tops shooting in Buffalo, in which a white supremacist murdered 10 Black New Yorkers, Hochul addressed the community as a Western New Yorker. The November 2023 "Unity Summit" she convened in Buffalo on the 18-month anniversary brought together state and federal officials, faith leaders, and community organizations to address hate-crime prevention [9].

Israel and the post-October 7 period

In late October 2023, Hochul made an emergency visit to Israel following the Hamas attacks, accompanied by a small delegation. She has spoken at multiple Jewish community events in New York City and Long Island [10]. Her November 2023 announcement that New York would conduct "surveillance efforts" of social media for hate speech drew both support from Jewish community groups and pushback from civil liberties advocates, including the New York Civil Liberties Union [11].

The @NYGovPress X account

The most-discussed feature of Hochul's 2025-2026 media strategy has been her press team's @NYGovPress X account, which is distinct from her official @GovKathyHochul account. The account was launched on August 25, 2025, by communications strategist Ben Freedman, working with director of rapid response Jen Goodman [12].

By March 2026, the account had drawn more than 35 million impressions [12]. Its purpose, per Freedman and Goodman, is to fact-check misinformation and promote the governor's agenda through "millennial and Gen Z-like content" including memes, slang, and pointed humor at the expense of the Trump administration and Republican opponents [12]. The account's posts on the Epstein files, the federal government shutdown, and congestion pricing have been particularly viral. The "Wrath of Kath" poster meme has become a recurring reference point [12].

The account has occasionally drawn criticism. On May 6, 2026, after Dave Portnoy posted about antisemitic vandalism in a Queens Jewish community, the @NYGovPress account jumped into the exchange with a post mocking Portnoy's age, prompting criticism from observers, including Lydia Moynihan, Eyal Yakoby, and others who argued the governor's office should be focused on identifying perpetrators rather than meme-posting [13]. The episode highlighted the trade-off in the account's strategy: the same combative voice that produces viral wins also produces public missteps.

Social media and youth platforms

Beyond @NYGovPress, Hochul has been one of the most active governors in the country on issues of social media regulation and minors. She has signed the SAFE for Kids Act, regulating algorithm-driven feeds and late-night notifications for minors, and the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act, both of which were credited by her office as influencing Instagram's nationwide changes in late 2024 [14]. She has spoken on the topic at conferences, including the September 2024 NYSUT Disconnected conference and her January 2025 Unplug and Play initiative rollout [5, 14].

She has also publicly criticized TikTok over the November 2023 spread of Osama bin Laden's "Letter to America" on the platform, calling it a moment of "minds polluted by the venom that is being spewed on these sites" and announcing new K-12 media literacy tools through the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services [11].

Notable public appearances

Hochul has appeared at a wide range of public events, balancing Buffalo and Western New York visibility with downstate appearances. Notable recent examples include:

Forest Hills Stadium rally for Mamdani, October 26, 2025 (her speech drew "tax the rich" chants from the crowd, which she acknowledged with "Oh, this crowd is fired up. I can hear you") [15].

The "Money in Your Pockets" press tour following the FY 2026 Inflation Refund announcement, January 2025 [4].

Press conferences with MTA Chair Janno Lieber during the February 2025 Trump administration congestion pricing fight, including the line that NYC commuters had been made "roadkill on Donald Trump's revenge tour" [16].

Visit to Hudson Guild Children's Center in Manhattan in May 2025 to highlight the $2.2 billion child care budget agreement [17].

Press coverage and framing

Per City & State New York coverage in March 2026, Hochul's press team views the @NYGovPress account as "an extension of Hochul" and as a deliberate response to misinformation and attacks from the Trump administration. Freedman has described his strategy as: "be chronically online and be monitoring social media all the time" [12].

Critics have argued that the combative social media voice fits a Trump-era political moment but can clash with the more measured tone of traditional gubernatorial communications. Supporters argue that the account has done what many Democratic communications operations have struggled to do, which is generate a sustained, accessible voice on the platforms where younger voters increasingly get their political news [12].