Hochul Balances Progressive Base and Business as She Wields Pen

December 22, 2025, 10:00 AM UTC

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decisions on a raft of final bills from the state’s just-ended legislative session reflect a delicate political balancing act.

The moderate Democrat signed legislation regulating AI and social media platforms, while rejecting a health-data privacy measure. Those moves and others reflected her long practice of walking a narrow line between progressive-leaning policies backed by groups like labor unions, and those sponsored by industry and trade associations.

Most of the bills Hochul signed Dec. 19 come with a caveat: the governor will negotiate additional changes to language approved by lawmakers last spring and seek to re-pass ...

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