New York Governor 2026: the ads, and who's paying for them
Kathy Hochul (Democrat) and Bruce Blakeman (Republican) are the candidates for governor of New York in the November 3, 2026 general election. Kathy Hochul is the incumbent. Semblen has analyzed 76 ads in this race; 44 used at least one manipulation technique, most often loaded language and name calling.
Kathy Hochul (DEM, incumbent), Bruce Blakeman (REP).
On the ballot as listed by Ballotpedia. 76 ads analyzed, 44 with at least one technique in the copy.
Newest first. The paid-for-by line is the advertiser's own filing. Updated 2026-10-08.
42 of 74 (57%) flagged · Loaded Language (31), Name Calling (21), Appeal to Fear (17)
YouTube
2 of 2 flagged · Bandwagon Appeal (2), Appeal to Fear (1), Appeal to Prejudice (1)
Reported Meta spend
$333,300–432,067 on all ads, $196,300–251,366 on flagged ads · Meta reports ranges; these are the sums of their ends
Example
“High Taxes, Rising Utility Rates” — Loaded Language, paid for by Blakeman for New York
· the flagged ad with the highest reported spend that shows the most common technique
Embed this race on your site
A small box with these findings and the newest ads, updated as new ads are analyzed. Free for newsrooms, blogs and campaigns alike; it links back here.
Follow Kathy Hochul vs. Bruce Blakeman
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
Each side is the campaign plus the groups backing it. How a group is placed is explained below the table.
Side
Ads
With at least one technique
Most common
Hochul (D)
18
7 of 18 (39%)
Loaded Language (6), Name Calling (5), Appeal to Fear (2)
All from the campaign; no ads here from groups placed on this side.
Blakeman (R)
33
20 of 33 (61%)
Loaded Language (12), Glittering Generalities (10), Appeal to Fear (7)
All from the campaign; no ads here from groups placed on this side.
Not placed on a side (15 sponsors)
25
17 of 25 (68%)
Loaded Language (13), Name Calling (11), Appeal to Fear (9)
Read this before comparing the sides. Ads that attack an opponent use these techniques far more often than ads that introduce a candidate, whoever runs them, so the side running more attack ads shows a higher share. A technique is about wording, not about whether an ad is true. These are online ads only (Meta and YouTube), not television.
How a group is placed: by its own filings with the Federal Election Commission. A group is with a candidate when it reported spending to support that candidate, or to oppose the other one in the general election. The parties' own committees are with their nominee. Spending against a candidate in a primary places a group nowhere, and neither does our reading of its ads: a group with no such filing is listed as not placed. The sponsor table gives the reason for each.
Decide what counts
Not everyone would call every technique manipulation. Untick the ones you'd call ordinary persuasion and the count updates.
58% of the 76 ads here use at least one of the techniques ticked below (44 ads).
Leaving out the softer ones (loaded language, glittering generalities, slogans, exaggeration, repetition): 49% of ads.
The words doing the work
The words that show up most in phrases our model flagged as loaded language or name calling in this race's ads, by number of ads.
billin 5 ads· e.g. “skyrocketing utility bills”, “skyrocketing electric bills”
MAGAin 5 ads· e.g. “MAGA extremism”, “New York MAGA extremism”
policyin 4 ads· e.g. “pro-criminal policies”, “destructive anti-energy policies”
criminalin 3 ads· e.g. “criminals roam free”, “Hochul's New York: were criminals roam free”
hochul'in 3 ads· e.g. “Hochul's New York: were criminals roam free”, “Kathy Hochul's fraud and abuse”
pro-criminalin 3 ads· e.g. “pro-criminal policies”, “most pro-criminal governor in America”
worst governorin 3 ads· e.g. “WORST Governor in America”, “the worst Governor in America”
Semblen is free to read and has no ads. If this page was useful, you can support it.
Money in this race
Candidates for governor report their fundraising to New York's state campaign-finance office, not the FEC. This page doesn't cover those reports yet, so it shows no money figures.
The ads
76 ads, newest first. Video transcripts are shown as the model read them, without caption cues like [music].
Paid for by Matt Ricchiazzifrom 2026-10-08spend $0–99100–999 impressions
Will ideological drive enable Governor Kathy Hochul to let NYC's Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani to annex Nassau County by statute? The city line is more likely to be crossed the quieter way: by toll, by zoning target, by the slow transfer of who decides what a town is for.
A governor can deny the map and still redraw the life. Housing mandates that died are remembered as warnings. A congestion toll paused for an election and restored after it reads less like caution than confession. A ban on local immigration agreements arrives as public safety and lands as dispossession — not of land, but of the right to remain unlike the city next door.
“Sixth borough” is not a proposal. It is a diagnosis. Voters are not arguing about charter revision. They are arguing about whether the instincts of the five boroughs now govern by default, with the suburbs consulted mainly for revenue.
For Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the battle is an important one.
Full Article: https://buffalochronicle.com/2026/10/07/kathy-hochul-denies-wanting-to-make-nassau-county-the-sixth-borough-of-nyc-why-doesnt-anyone-believe-her/
Loaded Language: The phrase 'ideological drive' frames political motivation as fanatical or extreme rather than policy-based, and 'annex' is a loaded term implying aggressive territorial takeover — for example: "ideological drive", "annex Nassau County by statute".
Appeal to Fear: The question implies a threatening scenario where NYC forcibly absorbs Nassau County, creating anxiety about loss of local autonomy — for example: annex Nassau County by statute and slow transfer of who decides what a town is for.
Conspiracy Appeal: The sentence implies a hidden, incremental, and covert strategy to extend city control over suburban areas without explicit democratic action — for example: "crossed the quieter way", "slow transfer of who decides what a town is for".
Loaded Language
Appeal to Fear
Conspiracy Appeal
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Matt Ricchiazzifrom 2026-10-08spend $0–99100–999 impressions
If Bruce Blakeman wins, subway-riding NYC liberals come out ahead. For NYC Democrats, the smartest move this cycle would be to stay home on election day.
The transportation money this White House has spent a year turning on and off — the Hudson tunnel, the Penn Station, the cars and signals under Lexington and Broadway — lands, overwhelmingly, on the island. Gateway is a $16 billion crossing into Midtown. The Penn rebuild is $7 billion to $8 billion for a station Manhattan already uses. The M.T.A.’s capital plan is $68 billion, with a federal share the president has shown he can freeze or release. Tens of billions, and the largest share of the benefit is not in Nassau. It is in Manhattan.
The condition being circulated is blunt. Mr. Trump is said to be open to that reconstruction if Mr. Blakeman is the governor who receives it, and not if Governor Kathy Hochul is. There is no term sheet. There is a record: he took Penn from the state, tried to kill Gateway, and stalled Second Avenue until a judge intervened. The same hand that obstructed the money is the one that would have to write the check.
Hochul's lead is a city lead, 69 to 24 in the last Marist poll, 53 to 42 statewide, the suburbs tied. Blakeman leads Upstate. Manhattan does not need to vote for Mr. Blakeman to hand him the race. It only needs to stay home. The margin that has kept Republicans out of Albany for twenty years runs through these precincts. Mitigate their impact through turnout, and his path is the suburbs he already holds.
If Manhattan Democrats stay home, swing the state, and take the largest cut of an investment this White House will not make for a Governor it is still suing.
The trains would not care who won. The riders on this island would.
Read full article: https://buffalochronicle.com/2026/10/07/if-blakeman-wins-governorship-trump-is-open-to-bankrolling-the-reconstruction-of-nyc-subway-system-but-not-if-hochul-is-reelected/
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Matt Ricchiazzifrom 2026-10-072 variantsspend $0–1982,100–3,998 impressions
Staten Island already voted to leave New York City. In 1993 the margin was 65 to 35 — 81,566 to 43,160 — for a charter that would have made it the state’s second-largest city. Albany never finished the job. Sheldon Silver wouldn’t call the vote.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s worry is that Bruce Blakeman would.
A governor can let the island become its own city: its own school board, its own police department, its own tax rates, a ferry service and Expressway design negotiated by the people who sit in the traffic.
Three Council seats out of 51. Half a million people deserve a City that hears them.
The referendum didn’t fail. It was filed and forgotten. November 3 is the first election in thirty years in which someone with a pen might take it back out.
Full Article: https://buffalochronicle.com/2026/10/07/mamdani-worries-blakeman-will-let-staten-island-become-its-own-city/
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
Paid for by Heather Scribner for NYfrom 2026-10-07spend $0–992,000–2,999 impressions
Republican Heather Scribner is ready to fight for us as our new State Assemblywoman, because Kathy Hochul and her Downstate Democrat comrades have failed us.
Heather will fight inflation by voting against new taxes, will investigate National Grid for skyrocketing utility bills, and will fight Bail Reform and other pro-criminal policies.
Let's turn New York State around. Vote for Heather Scribner for State Assembly.
--------------
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Early Voting is open from October 24 to November 1.
Mail-In Voting is available now by contacting your local County Board of Elections.
Loaded Language: The word 'comrades' is used with a politically charged connotation to imply socialist or un-American allegiance, and 'failed us' is emotionally loaded — for example: 'Downstate Democrat comrades have failed us'
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'fight for us' and 'failed us' draws a sharp in-group/out-group distinction, implying Hochul and Democrats are outsiders who do not represent 'us' — for example: "fight for us", "failed us".
Name Calling: Referring to Democratic colleagues as 'comrades' is a derogatory label designed to discredit them by associating them with communism rather than addressing their policies — for example: 'Downstate Democrat comrades'
Loaded Language
Appeal to Prejudice
Name Calling
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Blakeman for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-07spend $3,000–3,499250,000–299,999 impressions
Zohran Mamdani used the anniversary of October 7 to attack Israel, and Kathy Hochul continues to enable him. New Yorkers deserve leaders who will stand up against antisemitism, not excuse it. We must never forget the innocent lives lost on October 7.
Loaded Language: The word 'enable' carries a strong negative connotation, implying Hochul is complicit in harmful behavior — for example: 'enable him'
Name Calling: Mamdani is characterized as someone who 'attacks' Israel on a solemn anniversary, framing him as an aggressor without addressing the substance of his statements — for example: 'used the anniversary of October 7 to attack Israel'
Black-and-White Fallacy: Presents only two options for leaders: either stand up against antisemitism or excuse it, leaving no room for nuanced positions — for example: 'stand up against antisemitism, not excuse it'
Appeal to Prejudice: Invokes 'New Yorkers' as an in-group identity to pressure alignment with the author's political position — for example: 'New Yorkers deserve leaders'
Appeal to Fear: Invokes the memory of innocent victims to create an emotional imperative that discourages critical examination of the preceding political claims — for example: 'We must never forget the innocent lives lost on October 7'
Loaded Language
Name Calling
Black-and-White Fallacy
Appeal to Prejudice
Appeal to Fear
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Bandwagon Appeal: Implies that Democrats broadly are already voting for the speaker, creating a sense of crowd momentum to pressure others to follow — for example: Democrats are voting for me
Glittering Generalities: Uses vague, emotionally positive terms like 'real leadership' and 'safety' without specifying any concrete policies or plans — for example: real leadership and safety
Bandwagon Appeal
Glittering Generalities
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by New York State Firearms Associationfrom 2026-10-074 variantsspend $0–39618,000–25,996 impressions
Governor Kathy Hochul has flooded our state with violent foreigners, while working overtime to disarm native New Yorkers!
Hochul's New York: were criminals roam free, and we're left defenseless.
Loaded Language: Emotionally charged words are used to provoke fear and anger rather than convey facts — for example: 'flooded', 'violent foreigners', 'disarm'
Scapegoating: Immigrants are collectively labeled 'violent foreigners' and blamed for threatening the state, attributing complex social issues to a single out-group — for example: 'violent foreigners'
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'native New Yorkers' constructs an in-group identity contrasted against 'violent foreigners', exploiting us-vs-them sentiment — for example: 'native New Yorkers'
Appeal to Fear: The sentence creates anxiety about violent immigrants and government disarmament to provoke a defensive reaction — for example: 'flooded our state with violent foreigners, while working overtime to disarm native New Yorkers'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: 'Flooded' and 'working overtime' are extreme overstatements that go well beyond what evidence could support — for example: 'flooded our state'
Name Calling: The sentence frames Hochul's governance as directly responsible for lawlessness, functioning as a derogatory label attached to her leadership rather than a substantive policy critique — for example: 'Hochul's New York'
Loaded Language
Scapegoating
Appeal to Prejudice
Appeal to Fear
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Name Calling
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Appeal to Fear: Implies that continuing the current situation will cause financial harm to families, creating anxiety to motivate action — for example: 'can't afford more of the same'
False Urgency: The word 'finally' implies that action is overdue and must happen now, creating artificial pressure to act — for example: 'finally make New York affordable'
Glittering Generalities: The phrase 'make New York affordable' is a vague, emotionally positive promise with no specific policy substance — for example: 'make New York affordable'
Name Calling: Singling out 'Hochul' by name as the target to 'defeat' frames her as the enemy without addressing specific arguments or policies — for example: 'defeat Hochul'
Appeal to Fear
False Urgency
Glittering Generalities
Name Calling
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Hernandez for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-062 variantsspend $500–6984,000–5,998 impressions
New York is losing billions to fraud, waste, and one-party rule, and the current Comptroller has been silent through all of it. That is why Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is endorsing Joseph Hernandez for New York State Comptroller. Bruce turned Nassau around. He knows Joseph will do the same for Albany.
A $10 donation today is worth $70 with the 6-to-1 state match.
Loaded Language: The phrase 'one-party rule' is emotionally charged, implying authoritarian or corrupt governance rather than simply describing a political majority — for example: one-party rule
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: Claiming the state is 'losing billions' to fraud and waste without evidence or qualification overstates the scale to provoke alarm — for example: losing billions to fraud, waste
Appeal to Fear: The sentence creates anxiety about massive financial loss and governmental failure to pressure the audience toward supporting the endorsed candidate — for example: losing billions to fraud, waste, and one-party rule
Glittering Generalities: The vague claim that Bruce 'turned Nassau around' uses positive but unsubstantiated language to build credibility without specifying any concrete achievement — for example: turned Nassau around and do the same for Albany.
Loaded Language
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Appeal to Fear
Glittering Generalities
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
I cut taxes and made Nassau safer; I’ll do it statewide.
Paid for by Bruce Blakemanvideo · 0:42from 2026-10-05
We appreciate and we proud of you what do you have done in Nassau County. We everybody knows that. He is our best bet if you want safest New York City like Nassau County, there's no better candidate than Bruce.
I want to be a governor that makes you happy. Makes everybody happy by cutting taxes, cutting utility bills and making safer communities just like I did in Nassau County. Watch special telecast Bruce Blakeman for governor tonight 7:00 p.m.
EST only on channel Just Punjabi.
Bandwagon Appeal: The phrase implies universal agreement to pressure acceptance of the claim — for example: 'everybody knows that'
Black-and-White Fallacy: The sentence presents only one viable candidate, leaving no room for other options — for example: 'there's no better candidate than Bruce'
Bandwagon Appeal
Black-and-White Fallacy
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Watch on YouTube ↗Transcript above is auto-generated; the analysis is of the spoken words.
Paid for by Strong and Safe New York Incfrom 2026-10-052 variantsspend $2,500–3,498130,000–149,998 impressions
New Yorkers are stuck with the bill.
While Kathy Hochul’s campaign took in hundreds of thousands from donors, her administration handed out hundreds of millions in taxpayer-funded contracts.
New Yorkers deserve answers. Follow the money.
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Loaded Language: The words 'fraud and abuse' are emotionally charged accusations used to trigger a negative reaction toward Kathy Hochul rather than convey verified facts — for example: fraud and abuse and stop her waste.
Name Calling: Kathy Hochul is labeled as committing 'fraud and abuse' without substantiation, functioning as a derogatory characterization to discredit her — for example: 'Kathy Hochul's fraud and abuse'
False Urgency: The imperative 'Help... stop' creates a sense of immediate action required, pressuring the reader to act without deliberation — for example: 'Help Joseph Hernandez stop her waste'
Loaded Language
Name Calling
False Urgency
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Blakeman for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-05spend $10,000–14,999450,000–499,999 impressions
Kathy Hochul is the WORST Governor in America, and this November we have the chance to fire her. Under Hochul, New York ranks 50th in economic development, our utility bills are 70% higher than the national average, and her pro-criminal policies have made our communities less safe. If you’re tired of paying more, feeling less safe, and watching New York fall behind, vote for me, Bruce Blakeman, this November. Let’s take our state back.
Loaded Language: The superlative 'WORST' (capitalized for emphasis) is an emotionally charged label designed to trigger a strong negative reaction rather than convey measured analysis — for example: WORST Governor in America and pro-criminal policies.
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: Claiming someone is the absolute worst of all 50 governors is an extreme superlative that goes beyond what evidence typically supports — for example: the WORST Governor in America
False Urgency: The phrase 'this November we have the chance to fire her' creates artificial time pressure implying a narrow, fleeting window to act — for example: this November we have the chance to fire her
Card Stacking: Verified statistics (50th in economic development, 70% higher utility bills) are placed alongside the unverified loaded claim 'pro-criminal policies have made our communities less safe' without qualification, implying all claims carry equal evidentiary weight — for example: her pro-criminal policies have made our communities less safe
Appeal to Fear: The claim that policies 'have made our communities less safe' is designed to provoke anxiety about personal safety to drive a voting decision — for example: made our communities less safe and feeling less safe, and watching New York fall behind.
Bandwagon Appeal: The framing assumes a shared collective frustration ('if you're tired') to imply widespread agreement and pressure the reader to conform by voting — for example: If you're tired of paying more, feeling less safe
Glittering Generalities: The phrase 'take our state back' is a vague, emotionally resonant rallying cry implying reclamation of something noble without specifying what was lost or how it will be restored — for example: Let's take our state back
Appeal to Prejudice: The inclusive 'our' in 'take our state back' invokes an in-group identity implying the current leadership is an outsider or usurper, exploiting us-vs-them sentiment — for example: take our state back
Loaded Language
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
False Urgency
Card Stacking
Appeal to Fear
Bandwagon Appeal
Glittering Generalities
Appeal to Prejudice
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Blakeman for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-05spend $10,000–14,9991,000,000+ impressions
Under Hochul, overall crime is up 22%. That's her record.
In Nassau, I hired over 900 new law enforcement officers and made it the safest county in America.
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: The claim that Nassau is 'the safest county in America' is an absolute superlative that is likely an overstatement not supported by verified data — for example: 'the safest county in America'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Blakeman for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-05spend $200–29910,000–14,999 impressions
New York families are tired of higher taxes, rising utility bills, growing crime, and a government that has lost sight of the people it serves.
That's why this race is so important, and why every conversation and every supporter matters. We're now just 4 points away, and every door knock and every conversation brings us closer.
Together, we can restore public safety, lower the cost of living, and make New York more affordable.
I'm ready to lead that fight, and I hope you'll stand with me.
Loaded Language: The sentence uses emotionally charged phrases to evoke frustration and resentment toward government — for example: 'a government that has lost sight of the people it serves'
Appeal to Fear: The cumulative list of threats — taxes, utility bills, crime, and government failure — is designed to create anxiety and a sense of crisis among readers — for example: 'higher taxes, rising utility bills, growing crime'
Bandwagon Appeal: The phrase 'New York families are tired' implies a broad collective consensus to pressure agreement with the stated grievances — for example: 'New York families are tired'
Glittering Generalities: The sentence uses vague, emotionally positive promises ('public safety', 'affordable') that sound noble and appealing but lack any specific policy substance — for example: 'restore public safety'
Loaded Language
Appeal to Fear
Bandwagon Appeal
Glittering Generalities
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Blakeman for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-05spend $7,000–7,999250,000–299,999 impressions
The highest taxes in the country. Utility rates 70% above the national average.
Crime is surging under the most pro-criminal governor in America. New Yorkers are drowning, and Kathy Hochul doesn't care.
As governor, I will cut your utility rates in half, slash your taxes, and create more jobs with higher wages.
More money in your pocket. More freedom in your life. That's the New York I'm fighting for.
Loaded Language: The phrase 'pro-criminal' is an emotionally charged label designed to trigger a negative reaction rather than convey factual information about policy — for example: most pro-criminal governor in America and New Yorkers are drowning.
Name Calling: 'Pro-criminal governor' is a derogatory label applied to Kathy Hochul to discredit her rather than address specific policies — for example: 'most pro-criminal governor'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: The superlative claim 'most pro-criminal governor in America' is an extreme overstatement unsupported by evidence — for example: 'most pro-criminal governor in America'
Appeal to Fear: The image of citizens 'drowning' while their governor 'doesn't care' creates anxiety and a sense of abandonment to override rational evaluation of policy — for example: 'New Yorkers are drowning, and Kathy Hochul doesn't care'
Glittering Generalities: Vague promise of financial benefit with no specific policy or mechanism described — for example: More money in your pocket, More freedom in your life and That's the New York I'm fighting for.
Loaded Language
Name Calling
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Appeal to Fear
Glittering Generalities
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Under Hochul, overall crime is up 22%. That's her record.
Paid for by Bruce Blakemanvideo · 0:21from 2026-10-05
Kathy Hochul has no idea what's happening in New York. When asked about serious crimes, her answer was refresh my recollection. Serious crimes are happening and her cashless bail puts criminals back on the streets.
New York deserves a governor who stands up for New Yorkers. Let's fire Kathy Hokll.
Name Calling: The sentence dismisses Hochul's competence with a sweeping derogatory characterization rather than addressing specific policy failures — for example: 'has no idea what's happening'
Card Stacking: The sentence presents a selective and decontextualized snippet of Hochul's response to imply total ignorance, omitting any broader context of what she actually said or meant — for example: 'her answer was refresh my recollection'
Appeal to Fear: The sentence invokes the threat of serious crimes and criminals on the streets to provoke fear and assign blame to Hochul's policy — for example: 'puts criminals back on the streets'
Scapegoating: The sentence attributes the complex problem of crime directly and solely to Hochul's cashless bail policy, oversimplifying causation — for example: 'her cashless bail puts criminals back on the streets'
Appeal to Prejudice: Invokes in-group identity by implying that only a specific type of leader truly represents 'New Yorkers', creating an us-vs-them framing — for example: New York deserves a governor who stands up for New Yorkers
Glittering Generalities: Uses vague, emotionally positive language about 'deserving' and 'standing up' without specifying any concrete policy or action — for example: deserves a governor who stands up for New Yorkers
Bandwagon Appeal: The inclusive 'Let's' implies collective agreement and pressures the audience to join in the call to remove the governor — for example: Let's fire Kathy Hokll
Name Calling
Card Stacking
Appeal to Fear
Scapegoating
Appeal to Prejudice
Glittering Generalities
Bandwagon Appeal
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Watch on YouTube ↗Transcript above is auto-generated; the analysis is of the spoken words.
Paid for by Blakeman for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-02 to 2026-10-04spend $3,000–3,49970,000–79,999 impressions
I’m celebrating my birthday by fighting for the state I love. Join me in the fight.
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by New York State Firearms Associationfrom 2026-10-026 variantsspend $100–69431,100–40,994 impressions
🤬 Senator Chris Ryan -- who reps Oswego, North Syracuse, Fulton, Cicero, DeWitt in the Senate -- voted for every gun control bill you can think of. He even voted to put a criminal on the State Commission of Corrections!
Now, he's blaming gun owners for the crime problem!
Another pretend moderate, helping Governor Kathy Hochul run New York into the ground! Share this video with your friends!
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: The phrase 'every gun control bill you can think of' is an extreme overstatement implying the senator voted for an unlimited, all-encompassing set of gun control measures — for example: every gun control bill you can think of
Loaded Language: The word 'criminal' is used as an emotionally charged label to trigger outrage and discredit the senator's judgment without providing factual context — for example: put a criminal on the State Commission of Corrections
Scapegoating: The sentence frames 'gun owners' as being blamed for a complex social problem (crime), implying an unfair attribution of responsibility to a single group — for example: blaming gun owners for the crime problem
Name Calling: The phrase 'pretend moderate' is a derogatory label used to discredit a person without addressing their actual positions or arguments — for example: pretend moderate
Bandwagon Appeal: The call to share the video with friends is designed to pressure social conformity and spread the message through peer networks, implying collective agreement — for example: Share this video with your friends
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Loaded Language
Scapegoating
Name Calling
Bandwagon Appeal
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Hernandez for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-02 to 2026-10-04spend $0–99100–999 impressions
I’m honored to have Bruce Blakeman’s endorsement and support.
Bruce knows what it takes to stand up for New Yorkers, demand accountability, and deliver results. I’m proud to have him in this fight with me.
Glittering Generalities: Vague, emotionally positive phrases like 'stand up for New Yorkers', 'demand accountability', and 'deliver results' sound noble but carry no specific meaning or substance — for example: 'stand up for New Yorkers, demand accountability, and deliver results'
Slogans: Catchy phrase used to compress a complex position into an emotionally loaded shorthand.
Glittering Generalities
Slogans
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Glittering Generalities: The phrase uses vague, emotionally positive language about fighting for a place without specifying any concrete policy or action — for example: 'fight for New York'
Glittering Generalities
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Strong and Safe New York Incfrom 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-03spend $2,000–2,499600,000–699,999 impressions
New York, under Governor Kathy Hochul, consistently ranks as our nation’s most unaffordable state. Rising bills, groceries, rent, and taxes are squeezing New Yorkers, all while the cost of business increases.
It’s time Albany finally makes life more affordable again.
Vote Bruce Blakeman on November 3rd.
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by NICOLE FOR NEW YORKfrom 2026-10-01spend $900–99970,000–79,999 impressions
New Yorkers should ask themselves why we are paying 60% above the national average for electricity. Look no further than Governor Kathy Hochul’s destructive anti-energy policies.
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'New Yorkers' invokes in-group identity to create a sense of shared grievance among residents — for example: New Yorkers
Loaded Language: The word 'destructive' is emotionally charged and designed to trigger a negative reaction rather than convey a neutral factual description of the policies — for example: destructive anti-energy policies
Scapegoating: The sentence attributes the complex issue of high electricity costs entirely to one individual's policies, ignoring other potential contributing factors — for example: Look no further than Governor Kathy Hochul's destructive anti-energy policies
Black-and-White Fallacy: The phrase 'look no further' implies there is only one cause for the high electricity prices, eliminating any other possible explanations — for example: Look no further than
Appeal to Prejudice
Loaded Language
Scapegoating
Black-and-White Fallacy
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Hernandez for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-03spend $0–99100–999 impressions
I’m proud to have Bruce Blakeman’s support as we fight to bring real accountability back to New York.
Together, we’re ready to protect taxpayers, root out waste and fraud, and fire the worst Governor in America.
Bandwagon Appeal: The word 'Together' implies collective unity and group momentum, pressuring conformity through a sense of shared movement — for example: Together, we're ready
Glittering Generalities: Vague, emotionally positive phrases like 'protect taxpayers' and 'root out waste and fraud' sound noble but carry no specific policy substance — for example: protect taxpayers, root out waste and fraud
Name Calling: The label 'worst Governor in America' is a derogatory superlative used to discredit a person rather than address their record with evidence — for example: the worst Governor in America
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: Calling someone 'the worst Governor in America' is an extreme absolute superlative that goes beyond what evidence could reasonably support — for example: worst Governor in America
Bandwagon Appeal
Glittering Generalities
Name Calling
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Blakeman for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-08spend $30,000–34,9991,000,000+ impressions
Kathy Hochul's High Taxes, Rising Utility Rates and plan for $4,000 a Year in Higher Electric, Heating and Gas Bills. It's insane.
In Nassau County, I cut property taxes by $150 million to keep money where it belongs: in your pocket.
As Governor, I will eliminate income taxes on your first $100,000 of income, slash utility bills in half, and deliver real property tax relief to make New York affordable.
Loaded Language: The phrase 'High Taxes' and 'Rising Utility Rates' are emotionally charged framings designed to trigger negative reactions rather than neutrally describe policy — for example: 'High Taxes, Rising Utility Rates'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: The specific figure of '$4,000 a Year in Higher Electric, Heating and Gas Bills' is presented as a definitive outcome without qualification or sourcing, overstating certainty — for example: '$4,000 a Year in Higher Electric, Heating and Gas Bills'
Appeal to Fear: The sentence stacks multiple financial burdens (high taxes, rising utility rates, $4,000 increase) to create anxiety about economic harm to ordinary households — for example: 'High Taxes, Rising Utility Rates and plan for $4,000 a Year in Higher Electric, Heating and Gas Bills'
Loaded Language
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Appeal to Fear
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by Hernandez for New Yorkfrom 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-032 variantsspend $0–198200–1,998 impressions
Bruce Blakeman’s endorsement adds strong support to Joseph Hernandez’s campaign for New York State Comptroller.
Supporters who want to help Joseph Hernandez bring principled leadership to New York can donate now and help power the campaign forward.
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
An ad is on this page because its own "Paid for by" line is a campaign in this race; or it ran mostly in NY and names a nominee for governor — unless its sponsor is a campaign for some other office (a U.S. Senate or House campaign included), or it also names NY's Senate nominees, in which case it is on the Senate race's page. Ads from outside groups appear alongside the campaigns' own.
The candidates are the ones certified for the November ballot, from the source linked at the top. Governors are state offices, so there are no FEC filings behind this page: no money figures, and outside groups are placed on a side only when they are a campaign or a party committee.
Campaigns run one text as many separate ads. Identical text from the same sponsor is one card here, marked with its number of variants.
A technique is a specific manipulative move in the wording, found by our model and explained in one line. It is not a claim that the ad is false.
Claims are checked when a reader asks: press "Check this ad's claims" on a card. The check runs once and its result is shown to everyone afterwards. The ten ads with the most money behind them in each race are checked ahead of time.
Claim verdicts say what the cited sources say. A verdict that an ad is wrong or misleading is shown only when it cites an established fact-checker or an institutional record — Congress, a federal agency, a court — and its confidence is not low; a weaker one is not shown at all. Each verdict shows what it rests on and how confident it is. If we got one wrong, press Disagree: a verdict that readers dispute and no one defends comes down.
Video ads come from the campaigns' own YouTube channels; the transcript is analyzed. Meta ads are analyzed on their text; their video and images are not, yet.
Get notified as this improves — new detection models, the browser
extension, and new features. Occasional email, no spam.
Semblen LLC · 5900 Balcones Drive STE 100, Austin, TX 78731 · unsubscribe any time