Gov. Kathy Hochul’s utility rebate checks are finally hitting mailboxes across New York, but the timing screams election year. With just days left before voters head to the polls on November 3, the state is flooding 8.2 million households with cash. The checks, ranging from $100 to $200, are part of a $1 billion program factored into the budget back in May.
Under her tenure, energy costs surged by 27% to 46%, which the governor framed as the target of this relief. But the move has drawn fire from all sides. Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman ripped the effort as a “big election-year scam” and previously called the sums “peanuts.” Meanwhile, even some of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top lieutenants are saying one-time payments don’t go far enough.
A Scam or Real Relief?
The political battle over these checks is heating up as the November 3 election approaches. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Hochul’s Republican challenger, has been vocal about his disdain for the program. Using income data from 2024 tax returns, he labeled the checks “peanuts.” Blakeman went further, labeling the entire initiative an “election-year scam” designed to buy votes right before the midterms.
According to the New York Post, the program is still rolling out and expected to continue through December. The state argues it’s necessary help for families drowning in utility bills. But Blakeman sees it as a cynical ploy. The timing of the mailings, hitting just days before the election, only fuels the accusations from the opposition camp.
Progressive Allies Push for More
It’s not just Republicans who are skeptical. Inside the progressive camp, Mayor Mamdani’s own team is criticizing the approach. Two of Mamdani’s top lieutenants said on Monday that one-time payments “disempower” people. Mamdani Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-Church spoke at the New York City Policy Forum and didn’t hold back. She said, “One-time handouts disempower people.” She added, “Means-tested programs segregate and encumber people. Private sector capture extracts wealth and tilts programs away from public welfare.”
Economic Development Corporation Board Chair Lina Khan, another Mamdani appointee, echoed this sentiment. She argued that a system-wide shift is needed to truly help New Yorkers. “This is not as much about one-time checks. This is not about one-time tax breaks,” Khan said. She argued that corporate greed, not other factors, is the true cause of soaring prices and must be tackled by politicians. Her point is that these checks are a bandage on a much deeper wound.
The Working Families Party Play
Hochul is counting on a powerful alliance to secure the progressive vote. Her name appears on the ballot twice: once as a Democrat and again as the Working Families Party (WFP) choice. This strategy lets her court lefties without alienating the center. Michael Lange, a political analyst and Democratic Socialists of America member, told Gothamist that voting on the WFP line lets fellow lefties “have your cake and eat it, too.”
Lange explained the logic clearly. “It’s a way to show support for the left and the institutional left while also voting for a not-super-lefty-big-progressive Democrat,” Lange said. This isn’t new territory for New York progressives, who have long used the WFP to push centrist candidates left. In 2020, even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez selected the Biden-Harris ticket via the WFP line.
The alliance between Hochul and Mamdani is strong. They’ve launched a free childcare program for 2-year-olds and Hochul has defended Mamdani from personal attacks. Mamdani is campaigning for her across the five boroughs. A recent Siena poll found Mamdani had a 69% approval rating, making him a valuable asset for the governor. Some voters, like Corey Hillsey of Greenpoint, feel differently. Hillsey told Gothamist, “It sends a signal that we are looking for more change than what the Democratic Party brought us for the past 250 years.”
The Final Stretch
The checks keep coming, but the political fight is just entering its final phase. With the November 3 election looming, every dollar counts. Hochul hopes the cash in the mail seals the deal for voters tired of high costs. Blakeman hopes the “scam” label sticks. And progressives like Khan and Bisgaard-Church are waiting to see if the real structural changes they want will ever arrive.
For now, New Yorkers are getting the money, but the debate over whether it’s enough or just a trick will define the election. The results on November 3 will decide if this strategy works or if the state needs a different approach to its economic woes.
This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
