Gov. Kathy Hochul won a second full term on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman in the New York governor's race.

The Associated Press called the race at 9 p.m. EST, as polls closed. Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, called Hochul to concede, CBS News reported.

Hochul, 68, led Blakeman by more than 20 points with almost 75 percent of votes counted, according to New York Focus.

In 2022, she beat Republican Lee Zeldin by only six points.

She campaigned on affordability, pointing to middle-class tax cuts, inflation refund checks, expanded child tax credits and free school meals, according to Daily Voice.

She also listed lowering utility and housing costs, expanding affordable child care, strengthening gun safety laws and protecting abortion rights among her priorities, Daily Voice reported.

Blakeman's challenge

Blakeman, 71, ran on a "Put New York First" message. He proposed eliminating state income taxes on the first $50,000 earned by single filers and the first $100,000 earned by joint filers, along with an across-the-board 10 percent tax cut for incomes below $250,000, according to New York Focus.

He blamed Hochul for rising utility bills and high tax rates. He also focused on law enforcement cooperation with ICE and bail reform, News10 reported. President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman during a visit to Nassau County's police academy in Garden City in August, according to Daily Voice.

No Republican has won the governor's office since George Pataki left in 2006, CBS News reported. Pre-election polls from Siena College and Quinnipiac University both showed Hochul ahead by double digits.

Victory speech

Hochul delivered her victory speech at the New York Hilton Midtown, where she thanked supporters and referenced Trump's involvement in the race.

"Tonight, the people of New York have sent a message that will be heard far beyond our state lines," Hochul said, according to CBS News. "Just a few weeks ago, Donald Trump came to New York and told voters … to pretend that he was on the ballot. Well, Mr. President, you got your wish."

"Now the race is over, the election is over, so we all have to unify and work together and make for a better state of New York," Blakeman said during his concession speech, CBS News reported.

Westchester scanner problems

Voters across Westchester County faced ballot scanner failures on Election Day. Up to 300 scanners started experiencing problems when polls opened at 6 a.m., CBS News reported separately. As we reported Nov. 3, the failures affected polling sites countywide.

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins called the situation "completely unacceptable" and said a bipartisan team would investigate. The state Board of Elections (BOE) said a programming change for one municipality caused machines elsewhere in the county to reject ballots. The BOE said the scanners rejected ballots rather than incorrectly tabulating them.

Voting continued under emergency ballot procedures. Those ballots could not be counted until after 9 p.m., Jenkins said, according to CBS News.

What's ahead

Adrienne Adams will serve as Hochul's lieutenant governor, News10 reported. In an interview published Oct. 30 with amNewYork, Hochul outlined second-term priorities including energy security, accelerating housing construction and major transit projects.

Hochul vowed to address the state's affordability crisis. "That's what the next four years are for: to finish what we started, with bold ambition and a sense of urgency," she said, according to New York Focus.

Jenkins said a bipartisan team will investigate the Westchester scanner failure.