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Capitol Conversations: Bureau reporters break down the latest

Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman face off in the only scheduled debate ahead of the November New York gubernatorial election on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in New York.
Anna Connors
/
Pool The New York Times via AP
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman face off in the only scheduled debate ahead of the November New York gubernatorial election on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, in New York.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and her Republican challenger Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman faced off Tuesday in their first and likely only debate of the campaign.

The debate at Spectrum News NY1’s studios in Manhattan gave the chance for voters to see Hochul and Blakeman outside of the TV and digital ads running constantly.

The candidates sparred over immigration, President Donald Trump and data centers.

But they found an area of agreement on closing a loophole in the state’s sexual assault laws.

The debate came three weeks before the election and the candidates were trying to reach a dwindling number of undecided voters.

The New York Public News Network’s Jon Campbell and Samuel King discuss those developments at the Capitol.

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Samuel King is a Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network, producing multimedia stories on issues of statewide interest and importance.
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist.