A prominent labor union has kicked off an advertising campaign criticizing Governor Kathy Hochul, labeling her as so “radioactive” and “toxic” that candidates from her own party want to keep their distance.
The Transport Workers Union of America, which represents around 40,000 subway and bus workers in the city under an MTA contract that expired in May, began broadcasting these harsh ads on Friday, just ahead of early voting.
“Governor Kathy Hochul is so radioactive, even Democratic candidates are running away from her,” the ad begins, a nod to the governor’s influential position overseeing the MTA through her appointments.
“They’re starting to see that the governor is bad news for working New Yorkers and is hurting their own political prospects.”
The ads touch on incidents such as Democratic Long Island Representative Tom Suozzi skipping a campaign event with Hochul, along with Democratic congressional aspirant Cait Conley from Hudson Valley agreeing on video with her Republican opponent that the sitting governor should be replaced—all of which The Post initially reported.
John Samuelsen, head of the transit union, mentioned that besides the $60,000 used for the current ads, the union’s super PAC is putting down another $120,000 on more TV spots statewide and has mailed out “hundreds of thousands” of brochures to union families across New York.
“If she wasn’t always attacking trade unions, maybe other Democrats would feel more comfortable standing by her,” he said.
According to state campaign finance records, the Transport Workers Union Voice has spent upwards of $450,000 on television ads since registering with the state in July.
Samuelsen has criticized the governor as anti-labor after she vetoed legislation mandating a conductor on all subway trains, alongside a train operator.
Governor Hochul defended her veto, claiming the bill would impose an annual cost of $10 million, which could diminish service quality and hinder the MTA’s capacity to invest in new trains and signaling systems.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman condemned the veto, arguing it compromised the safety of both riders and transit workers, and expressed his support for the union.
Interestingly, Hochul and the transit workers union haven’t always been at odds.
Records show that the union and Local 100 endorsed her in 2022 and contributed over $175,000 to her campaign from 2018 to 2024.
In response to the union’s ads, a representative for Hochul’s campaign stated that, “Governor Hochul comes from a union family and has consistently supported workers, championed good-paying union jobs, and advocated for improved pay and working conditions – she takes pride in securing support from more than thirty New York unions that can’t count on ‘100% MAGA’ Blakeman to defend their rights, protect their healthcare, or lower their costs.”
