New York governor’s race is neck-and-neck as Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman set to debate

Not according to the betting markets!

New York governor’s race is neck-and-neck as Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman set to debate

By Alex Oliveira

Published Oct. 13, 2026

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman are nearly neck-and-neck as they head into the gubernatorial election’s only debate Tuesday, a stunning new poll found.

Democrat Hochul leads the Republican Nassau executive 47% to 44%, a Pollfinity survey released Tuesday found.

The poll found about 6% of voters were undecided, while another 3% planned to cast their ballots for others.

When undecided voters were asked which way they were leaning the race spread slightly, but just barely – with the candidates falling within 4 points of each other at 48% to 44%.

The poll called on 499 New Yorkers between Oct. 8 and 12, and bucked trends other pollsters had found in recent weeks which placed Hochul at a roughly 10-point lead over Blakeman.

Hochul led Blakeman by 12 points – 52% to 40%, with 8% undecided – in an Oct. 8 poll from Emerson College and PIX 11 that called on 900 voters.

But just days earlier in late September a Siena University poll placed the candidates within 9 points of one another, with Hochul leading 50% to 40%.

Independent pollster Pollfinity was started in 2026 by Lars Mapstead, a California Libertarian who ran for Congress in 2026 but was defeated by a wide field of opponents. He was also one of numerous Libertarians who ran for the presidency in 2024.

The poll’s latest findings showed serious gains for Blakeman since June, when Hochul led by 10 points at 50% to 40%.

Her approval ratings were also low in the latest poll – just 43% compared to 53% who disapproved of her performance since taking office in 2022.