Obama backs Hochul, records radio ad in support of NY governor as early voting begins

ALBANY, N.Y. — Former president Barack Obama is hitting the airwaves in support of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The 44th president of the United States will be featured in a new radio ad Hochul’s campaign released on Friday encouraging New Yorkers to head to the polls and vote for the Democratic incumbent.

“My friend, Governor Kathy Hochul, is the best person for the job, hands down,” Obama says in the one-minute spot. “Kathy knows how to get things done. She’s a strong leader who has met the moment and fought for you.”

The high profile endorsement from the former president comes a day before early voting begins.

Hochul is contending with a tighter-than-expected race against Republican challenger Lee Zeldin, with recent polling shows the conservative congressman within striking distance of the sitting governor.

Both candidates are pounding the pavement, rolling out high-profile supporters and flooding the airwaves with new ads in the final weeks of the campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 election.

In the newly released ad, Obama touts Hochul’s bona fides and lists off accomplishments on a range of issues.

“Kathy is strengthening the economy, investing in public safety, and getting illegal guns off the streets,” he says. “And you can count on her to protect abortion rights, voting rights and everything else you care about.

“So don’t sit this one out. Your vote matters,” he adds.

Hochul, who replaced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo last year, is aiming to be the first woman elected governor of the Empire State.

The Buffalo native’s ties to Obama include her pick to head the state’s Department of Financial Services.

The governor tasked Adrienne Harris, a former special assistant for economic policy to the White House under Obama, to serve as superintendent of the state agency overseeing insurance, financial services and banking regulations.

Meanwhile, Zeldin, a Long Island lawmaker with close ties to former president Donald Trump, announced that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will appear at a rally in Suffolk County on Saturday.

DeSantis was originally scheduled to appear a fundraiser with Zeldin over the summer but had to drop out of the event to attend services for a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent killed in the line of duty.

In addition to Obama, Hochul is joining forces with former secretary of state and senator Hillary Clinton next week, City & State first reported.

Clinton will join the governor, along with Attorney General Letitia James, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, at a get out the vote “Women’s Rally” Thursday at Barnard College in Manhattan.

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