Following her election as governor of New York in 2022, Kathy Hochul focused her inaugural address on the state's most significant issue—people leaving the city to avoid the effects of Democratic policies.
Following her election as governor of New York in 2022, Kathy Hochul focused her inaugural address on the state's most significant issue—people leaving the city to avoid the effects of Democratic policies.
Governor Hochul of New York claims that the state needs to figure out a way to keep people from leaving
This was after telling Republicans to "head down to Florida where you belong" several months prior.
Her comments contrasted sharply with her campaign rhetoric earlier this year when she suggested that Rep. Lee Zeldin and other political opponents should "Okay, hop on a bus and travel to Florida, where you belong. You don't reside in New York."
Many people have followed this advice in recent months and years and moved to Florida and other states in search of greener pastures due to New York's oppressive, anti-business climate and high crime rates.
The Census Bureau reports that Florida had the highest population growth rate in 2022, while New York had the highest population reduction of any state in the union.
Hochul bemoaned this pattern in her speech, saying, "We must and will increase safety in our state, as well as its affordability. And we need to stop the trend of people moving away from our state in search of better opportunities and cheaper living conditions."
Many factors have contributed to New Yorkers leaving the state in recent years, including some of the nation's harshest coronavirus pandemic response measures (responses that severely hurt the state's economy but did not stop the spread of COVID-19 in the state).
Also, high corporate and individual tax rates, its persistently low ratings regarding personal and business freedom, and the disastrous administration of Bill de Blasio, former New York City mayor, caused many New Yorkers to flee the state.
None of these decisions were promised to be addressed or overturned in Hochul's speech, nor was it acknowledged that Democrats may have made mistakes in putting any of these policies into effect.
In addition, Hochul has encountered resistance from members of her party regarding her efforts to reduce crime in New York. Despite the pleadings of New York City mayor Eric Adams, who pushed for the bill, Hochul wanted to make significant changes to New York's controversial bail reform law this year.
However, he encountered fierce opposition from Democrats in the legislature. Even though some of her reforms eventually made it into the state budget proposal, more is needed to stop the departure from New York to better places in the country.