New York Gov. Kathy Hochul just admitted her job governing Americans depends on who wins a foreign election — and she's rooting against the incumbent.
Hochul told Politico Magazine that her job would be "a lot easier" if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu loses his re-election bid, making her perhaps the first sitting U.S. governor to openly lobby for a particular outcome in another country's democratic contest. The comment lays bare an America-last mentality: Hochul is effectively conceding that her ability to govern New York is held hostage by political dynamics 5,600 miles away.
Hochul framed her position as concern over Netanyahu's "overreach" following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks. "I went to Israel right after Oct. 7. I saw a lot of pain there. But I actually cautioned the government there, in private conversations, not to overreach," Hochul said, according to the New York Post. She claimed that overreach shifted world opinion against Israel and fueled problems at home: "A lot of people are anxious about antisemitism, which is sky-high right now. And I take that personally, because I represent everyone."
She also declared Netanyahu an obstacle to a Palestinian state. "As long as Netanyahu is sitting there, that is not in his interest to do that. It's just not, and it won't happen," she said.
What Hochul didn't explain is why a sitting American governor thinks it's her place to dictate who another country elects — or why she believes American domestic governance should be contingent on foreign political outcomes at all. New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel, but that makes her constituents' interests American interests, not a license to meddle in Israeli ballot boxes.
The Israeli election itself remains a toss-up. Israelis head to the polls in what the Times called a "make-or-break moment," with Netanyahu's right-wing coalition facing a fractious opposition loosely led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff whose son was killed in the Gaza war. CNN reports 37 parties are running, with polls showing Eisenkot's Yashar party and Netanyahu's Likud in a tight race. Neither side is expected to win the 61 seats needed to form a government outright, meaning coalition negotiations could drag on for weeks or months.
President Trump has endorsed Netanyahu, praising him as a key partner against Iran and saying anyone else would be the "wrong leader" for Israel, according to the Times — though analysts were skeptical the endorsement would move many Israeli voters.
The Post framed Hochul's comments as a straightforward political gaffe by a governor facing her own re-election fight. The Times and CNN, meanwhile, buried her remarks entirely, focusing instead on the mechanics of the Israeli race. Neither outlet found it newsworthy that an American governor is publicly wishing for regime change in a democratic ally.
The open question: If Hochul's job is easier or harder depending on who wins a foreign election, whose governor is she really?
