In May 2022, PowHer™ New York created a candidate questionnaire for the candidates running for the Governor of New York State. Unlike the many other forums and questionnaires, this one exclusively focuses on the most pressing issues facing women* and girls, particularly those of color, during the COVID-19 pandemic, recovery, and the future.

*We define the term woman to refer to anyone who identifies as a woman, including but not limited to cisgender, trans, and nonbinary women.

The Questions

• VIOLENCE | How will you address the growing crisis of racial, ethnic and gender-based violence which has been highlighted by recent shocking events across the state and country? 
• LOW-WAGE WORKERS | The uneven recovery from the pandemic paired with inflation is having a disproportionate impact on women of color and low wage workers: what short term remedies do you propose to help these struggling workers?
• FAIR WAGES | Fairer wages and higher paying jobs are essential to ending the wage gap that robs women, especially women of color, of earnings and savings. How will you address one or more of these challenges: eliminating occupational segregation, expanding opportunity for new economy jobs, ending poverty wages for care workers and entirely eliminating the tipped minimum wage?
• REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE | Given that other states are banning and eliminating access to abortion, how can New York be a leader and ensure that everyone who needs care, including those who need to travel or can’t afford it, can receive abortion care here?
• BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH | How should New York address the crisis of maternal deaths that disproportionately impact Black women in our state? 
• CARE WORKERS | What specific plans do you have to ensure an adequate supply of well-paid and qualified providers of child care and homecare to assist families in New York State? 
• SEXUAL HARASSMENT | There has been a significant uptick in reports of sexual harassment and violence against women and gender expansive people during the pandemic. What is your plan to address gender-based violence in New York City in both the private and public sectors?
• SCHOOLS | How will you support the state’s most under-resourced communities to ensure that public schools, especially those serving Black, Brown, indigenous children and communities of color, and LGBTQIA identified youth, can equitably respond to the educational and mental health challenges students face now that they returned to school?
• RAISE THE AGE | Prior to 2017, NYS was one of only two states to charge 16 & 17 year olds as adults. The Raise the Age statute moved their cases to family court and gave them access to family court services. The 2022 state budget would roll back those reforms to Raise the Age and to the bail and discovery statutes that took effect in 2020. What is your position on bail reform, discovery reform, and Raise the Age? Do you support further rollbacks to these statutes?
• WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP | How will you ensure that women’s participation and leadership are fully integrated across New York State government and that decisions are made through an anti-racist, gender-focused lens?

Check out the answers below and find out when you can vote (and vote early!) at Vote411.

In June 2022, all candidates running for Governor of New York State in the primary elections were invited to submit answers to our questionnaire. As of June 20, 2022, we received and posted unedited responses from two Democratic candidates and no Republican candidates. In order to vote in the primary election, you must be registered for the Democratic or Republican party (Find out how to check here!). The following candidates were invited to submit answers but have not: Rob Astorino(R), Andrew Giuliani (R), Tom Suozzi (D), Harry Wilson(R) and) Lee Zeldin (R).

 VIOLENCE | How will you address the growing crisis of racial, ethnic and gender-based violence which has been highlighted by recent shocking events across the state and country? 

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: Keeping New Yorkers safe has been the top priority of the governor’s since taking office. The recent massacre of Black New Yorkers in Buffalo by a teen spouting white supremacist beliefs has only underscored the urgency with which hateful ideology and easy access to weapons must be addressed, and Governor Hochul has been doing as much as she can as swiftly as she can to prevent future attacks from occurring. She recently worked with the legislature to pass sweeping legislation aimed at tightening New York’s gun laws by closing regulatory loopholes, making it harder to acquire assault weapons, and providing law enforcement with more tools to solve gun crimes. The governor is also pushing social media companies to address the spread of racist and violently misogynistic content on their platforms, and directed the New York State Police and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to establish dedicated units focused on tracking and preventing domestic terrorism. Since taking office, Governor Hochul has invested millions of dollars to help secure those at risk of hate crimes or attacks and has convened discussions with leaders in communities affected by the uptick in hate and violent crimes in New York. She created a new Hate and Bias Prevention Unit within the Division of Human Rights to provide a coordinated, rapid, and community-focused response to hate and bias incidents, and ensured that police will be allowed to make arrests for all hate crimes if the perpetrator is 18 or older, rather than issue a desk appearance ticket. Governor Hochul has signed several pieces of hate crime-related legislation into law and is continuing to identify and pursue new channels to combat hate crimes and identity-based violence.
• Jumaane Williams: All elected officials must confront all forms of violence. In recent months, we have seen several mass shootings- both in New York State and across the country, targeted at the most vulnerable in our society, from people of more color, to women, to the LGBTQ community -including several instances of attacks against Black Trans women, and children. Clearly, we have issues which it finally has to confront: a failed mental health system, and other longstanding systemic issues such as lack of access to living wage jobs, lack of true, affordable, income-targeted housing, lack of resourced schools (including after school programs), and other systemic issues. My campaign is centered on solving these equities, including building a transformative economy through ensuring that the most privileged among us- millionaires and billionaires, pay their fair share; that we build and preserve income-targeted housing across the state (including AMIs down to 30%)–and pass things like Good Cause eviction to keep people in their homes, and understanding that a public safety approach much focus more on these resources. We also need federal partners to finally step up, with specific respect to recent mass shootings and enact common-sense gun safety laws that Congress continues to refuse to pass. I’ll continue to advocate for them now, and as Governor.

LOW-WAGE WORKERS | The uneven recovery from the pandemic paired with inflation is having a disproportionate impact on women of color and low wage workers: what short term remedies do you propose to help these struggling workers?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: Governor Hochul has been working since day one to pull New York out of the pandemic and help get workers and families back on their feet. Her affordability agenda is centered on making the state more affordable for low- and middle-income New Yorkers by providing immediate tax relief to residents and small businesses, making historic investments in child care subsidies to help working parents, freezing MTA rate hikes and suspending the gas tax for commuters, providing assistance to New Yorkers who fell behind on their utility bills, and raising wages and providing bonuses for health care workers in sectors dominated by women of color. These are just some of the many steps the governor has taken and will continue to take to cut down on costs and put money back in working class New Yorkers’ pockets.
• Jumaane Williams: I agree that women of color and those who often earn the least in this economy suffer the brunt of the impact. It’s exacerbated by things like the lack of true, universal healthcare and other programs that help people avoid poverty. Again, I’ve called for the legislature to pass a series of bills that will require those with the most to pay their fair share, and to enact other programs like increased minimum wage (including for Home Health Aides), the Universal Health Act, Good Cause eviction to help keep people in their homes, and similar safety net programs that are long overdue.

FAIR WAGES | Fairer wages and higher paying jobs are essential to ending the wage gap that robs women, especially women of color, of earnings and savings. How will you address one or more of these challenges: eliminating occupational segregation, expanding opportunity for new economy jobs, ending poverty wages for care workers and entirely eliminating the tipped minimum wage?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: The systemic barriers that New York’s low income families of color face in pursuit of upward mobility are great, particularly those that impact young women of color. The pipeline towards an eventual wage gap for Black and Latina women in our state starts in our schools, which must be better funded so that girls have the tools they need to graduate high school and not only reach college but succeed there. With the often prohibitive cost of private colleges, the state must do more to support low-income and first generation women of color by strengthening our public education systems to increase retention rates among those young women. That’s why Governor Hochul’s first budget made historic investments in our schools by restoring Foundation Aid, which drastically increased funding for schools in disproportionately underserved communities. The budget also made significant investments in the SUNY and CUNY systems to help part-time students attend school while also juggling work and family commitments, support student parents by providing childcare on campus, and strengthen opportunity programs and training centers to ensure those students who face academic and economic challenges are positioned for success. Her administration has also made a serious commitment to reinvigorating New York’s workforce development. The FY 2023 budget provided $350 million to support wide-reaching, historic and coordinated investment in workforce development across state agencies and authorities, including through the creation of an Office of Strategic Workforce Development, which will support employer-driven, high skilled workforce training programs for women of New York from all walks of life. Governor Hochul knows there is more work to do, and if elected to a full term, she will continue working to ensure that New York provides the resources needed to get more women of color into higher-paying roles.
• Jumaane Williams: One of the reasons I’m running for Governor is to help create a transformative economy that dismantles so many systemic inequities, like wage gaps that hit people of more color and women the hardest. I’ve released a comprehensive plan to address these gaps, including increased wages for care workers, increasing the overall minimum wage, ensuring that millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share, permanently expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, creating a public bank, and funding excluded workers, among others.

REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE | Given that other states are banning and eliminating access to abortion, how can New York be a leader and ensure that everyone who needs care, including those who need to travel or can’t afford it, can receive abortion care here?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: For Governor Hochul, the fight to protect a woman’s fundamental right to choose is a personal one, and with Roe v. Wade likely to be overturned, she is doing everything in her power to make New York a safe harbor for those seeking abortion care. This spring, the governor made a nation-leading $35 million investment that will give reproductive health providers the resources they need, including $25 million for a new Abortion Provider Support Fund that will help providers expand their facilities and hire staff to handle the expected influx of women coming to New York from across the nation to seek care. She’s also supporting legal protections for abortion providers and providing funds to help clinics beef up their security systems. Since taking office, Governor Hochul has directed state agencies to coordinate a statewide public information campaign to make New Yorkers aware of their reproductive rights and legal protections, including developing a Patient Bill of Rights. She’s also made medication abortions more accessible during telehealth visits, and publicly called on Facebook to take action to combat abortion misinformation online. No matter what happens in Washington, Governor Hochul will ensure that the state of New York is always there for anyone who needs reproductive health care and is committed to keeping abortion safe and legal.
• Jumaane Williams: New York State needs to be a leader in protecting a woman’s right to choose, which is under threat of being overturned by the US Supreme Court. Some steps have been made in that direction, including a budget for those seeking to exercise their rights (that needs to be made permanent in the state Health department). But, we must go further but enshrining into the state constitutional the right to access abortion services, protecting women who come to New York for services (including by law enforcement in other states), increase access to telehealth, among other options.

BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH | How should New York address the crisis of maternal deaths that disproportionately impact Black women in our state? 

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: To reduce the high Black maternal mortality rate in New York, the state must comprehensively address systemic inequities in its healthcare systems and create safer birth experiences for Black women. A recent report examining maternal mortality in New York prior to the pandemic found that Black women were five times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than White women – a gap that has likely increased since the beginning of COVID. Not only were a majority of these deaths found to have been preventable, but discrimination was determined to have been a key contributor in nearly half of the cases examined. These findings are unacceptable and demonstrate the urgency with which elected officials must act to improve access to quality care and directly confront systemic racism in our healthcare system. Governor Hochul signed legislation that declared racism a public health crisis, established a working group to promote racial equity in healthcare, and required health equity assessments to be completed for any proposed changes to hospital services. Her first budget provided over $20 million in annual investments to expand access to holistic prenatal and postnatal care to make quality care accessible for all mothers, and expanded postpartum coverage for all women eligible for Medicaid for a year after giving birth, regardless of their documentation status. The budget also included increased funding for safety net hospitals, which provide critical care for low-income communities; expanded access to affordable coverage under the state Essential Plan; and provided worker retention bonuses to nurse midwives, who play a vital role in improving maternal health outcomes. Governor Hochul knows there’s more that can be done, and if elected to a full term, she will continue working to ensure that Black women in New York stay healthy and safe for the duration of their pregnancies and beyond.
• Jumaane Williams: In New York, Black women are 8 to 12 times more likely to lose their lives during childbirth than their white counterparts. As Public Advocate, I’ve introduced several pieces of legislation to help stop the crisis of maternal deaths that have a particular impact on Black women. These bills included a Maternal Health bill of rights (including the right to reasonable accommodations), The crisis is absolutely a result of systemic inequities in the healthcare system that sees women’s pain and pleas ignored. As Governor, I would build on these efforts, to ensure passage of universal healthcare, including access for undocumented New Yorkers, passage of legislation to require health insurance plans to offer free midwifery and doula services at liveable wage, and advocate for the federal passage of the Momnibus.

CARE WORKERS | What specific plans do you have to ensure an adequate supply of well-paid and qualified providers of child care and homecare to assist families in New York State? 

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: The governor strongly believes that child care services are a critical part of our economic recovery and provide parents much-needed support as they pursue an education or join the workforce. As a mother forced to leave her own job because of the lack of accessible child care, Governor Hochul worked to ensure that her first budget included an historic investment in child care: the FY 2023 budget provided $7 billion over four years, more than doubling New York’s support for child care subsidies. The budget also increased the income eligibility threshold for child care subsidies to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, extending eligibility to more than half of young children in New York; and increased the child care market rate to include 80 percent of providers, a change that will broaden the child care options available to subsidy families while also increasing reimbursements for child care providers. The governor is proud that these landmark changes will permanently expand the availability, quality and affordability of child care for all New Yorkers, and provide new opportunities for working parents.
• Jumaane Williams: Childcare is the number one investment we can make to increase social and economic opportunities for New York’s children and parents. Without child care support, parents can’t go to work, pursue higher education opportunities, and children fall farther behind in the education system. At the same time, we can ensure strong wages, benefits, and protections for our child care workers. As your Governor, I would: Develop and phase-in a guaranteed, universal childcare system that supports parents, children, and childcare workers; invest in early childhood education; Create subsidies for fresh, healthy food accessible to every resident facing food insecurity. We must revamp New York’s food distribution system to improve efficiency, resilience, and sustainability.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT | There has been a significant uptick in reports of sexual harassment and violence against women and gender expansive people during the pandemic. What is your plan to address gender-based violence in New York City in both the private and public sectors?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: Domestic violence is an issue that is very personal to Governor Hochul. Ever since she helped her mother open a home for survivors of domestic abuse, she’s made it a personal priority to do everything in her power to stand with and support survivors. As governor, she directed all New York State agencies and authorities to have a workplace policy on gender-based violence and mandated that they designate a Domestic Violence Agency Liaison to better protect employees and create a safe workplace environment. She expanded existing state protections to include stalking and sexual assault, designated April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in New York, announced a $750,000 grant to help eradicate sexual violence on college campuses, and launched a statewide public awareness campaign around sexual assault and gender-based violence. Governor Hochul has also been proud to sign a number of bills into law that strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence, including helping victims flee abusive situations by protecting their personal information and finances, tightening anti-discrimination provisions so they can safely access services without fear of retaliation, and making it easier and safer to confidentially report abuse in the workplace.
• Jumaane Williams: First, we must look at this epidemic as a societal issue, and understanding how wide-ranging it is, it includes violence against women and marginalized people, whom include members of the LGBTQ community, seniors, youth, intimate partners. For example, one in four women, according to reports, experience abuse in the United States. New York City sees 600 DV calls a day. Those are just reported numbers. In response, a few things must happen, including making sure that victims are better supported. That includes things like ensuring funding for survivor justice centers. These are hubs must offer comprehensive help, including legal resources, housing, mental health. Second, I’ll work with law enforcement on doing a better job in protecting victims and holding perpetrators accountable. Law enforcement must have survivor-centered responses, including additional training as to not make victims feel ignored or further victimized. I’ll also work with the legislature to fully implement legislation that ensures victims don’t face discrimination (and often re-victimization) in the workplace, in housing, in other fields due to their status, and that includes building on the human rights law. Additionally, we must ensure that those committing violence are held accountable, including by not have access to weapons, similar to the Red Flag law approach. Third, we must ensure adequate mental health funding and resources for cities across the state.

SCHOOLS | How will you support the state’s most under-resourced communities to ensure that public schools, especially those serving Black, Brown, indigenous children and communities of color, and LGBTQIA identified youth, can equitably respond to the educational and mental health challenges students face now that they returned to school?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: Governor Hochul knows that achieving educational equity requires resourcing schools with an eye toward each community’s specific needs. Her administration took a significant step toward this goal by reaching an agreement to follow through on the State’s commitment to fully fund the current Foundation Aid formula to New York’s school districts over three years, ending the State’s prior opposition to providing this much-needed funding to our students. This settlement closes a long chapter of inequity and demonstrates Governor Hochul’s commitment to wiping the slate clean and fully funding public education using a responsive model that takes districts’ unique needs into account. In addition, to confront the unprecedented trauma and learning disruption for young people – especially young people of color – across the state from the pandemic, Governor Hochul’s FY 2023 budget included $100 million for high-need districts to address student wellbeing and learning loss. The budget’s record $31.5 billion for school aid also included funding for pilot programs that foster positive school climates by focusing on students’ holistic needs, programs which have been shown to meaningfully reduce school suspensions and violent incidents, and serve as a disrupter to the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately affects Black and Brown children. Additionally, Governor Hochul has prioritized investing in our mental health infrastructure and making sure that young people get the help they need through youth-focused mental health initiatives, expanded access to state mental health services for kids who previously didn’t qualify, and child-focused crisis intervention teams. Governor Hochul is committed to building a New York in which all kids can learn and thrive in safe, supportive environments.
• Jumaane Williams: Absolutely. Schools must pivot toward social-emotional / healing centered model, while also having equitable funding which has been missing. This will us put and end to a school to prison pipeline which has devastating effect on girls of more color, along with all students of more color and LGBTQIA youth. That means things like ensuring adequate counselors and conflict mediation resources, after school programs and employment. While the Campaign for Fiscal Equity has finally been funded, we need those finds to be sent to schools across the state that have been historically underfunded.

RAISE THE AGE | Prior to 2017, NYS was one of only two states to charge 16 & 17 year olds as adults. The Raise the Age statute moved their cases to family court and gave them access to family court services. The 2022 state budget would roll back those reforms to Raise the Age and to the bail and discovery statutes that took effect in 2020. What is your position on bail reform, discovery reform, and Raise the Age? Do you support further rollbacks to these statutes?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: Governor Hochul has always said that justice and safety go hand in hand. That’s why her criminal justice agenda prioritizes making New York’s communities safer while creating a system that is more just and equitable. For too long, systemic racism has pervaded our criminal justice system, and as a result, our Black and Brown communities have been disproportionately incarcerated and harmed. Since taking office, she has signed important legislation aimed at preventing people from being jailed for minor parole violations, secured funding for alternative services to incarceration, and supported initiatives to combat recidivism. Governor Hochul firmly stands behind the fundamental premise of bail reform, discovery reform, and Raise the Age; however, following the passage of these statutes, it became clear that some tweaks needed to be made to improve upon these laws and help keep New Yorkers safe. Governor Hochul worked closely with lawmakers to make targeted changes that continue making progress toward meaningful criminal justice reform while also tackling the rise in crime head-on. If elected to a full term, the governor will continue to support and sign legislation that improves systems that exacerbate injustice while also prioritizing the health and safety of all New Yorkers.
• Jumaane Williams: I support these laws, and have opposed any rollbacks. Bail reform- for example, has been blamed for any uptick in crime and the most high profile cases has literally nothing to do with bail reform. We have to stop fear-mongering and misleading New Yorkers and focus on solutions that work including, as mentioned, dismantling systemic inequities through legislation and through the budget.

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP | How will you ensure that women’s participation and leadership are fully integrated across New York State government and that decisions are made through an anti-racist, gender-focused lens?

• Gov. Kathy Hochul: Throughout her career in public service, Governor Hochul has emphasized the importance of mentorship for young women and has led numerous initiatives to get more women interested and involved in politics. As New York’s first female governor, she was deliberate in putting together a leadership team with the most women and most women of color in state government history, and has spoken out about the importance of bringing a diversity of female perspectives into the decision-making process. If elected to a full term, Governor Hochul will continue to lift up women’s voices and appoint them to positions of authority across the state.
• Jumaane Williams: First, representation matters. I’m proud to run with an experienced, powerful running-mate, Ana Maria Archilla, who also happens to be a woman. In all of my previous roles, I’ve ensured that women and others are represented in leadership. I’ll ensure that my cabinet, agency leadership and my appointments are also inclusive and develop policy from an equity lens. I’ll have no issue sending back recommendations that aren’t inclusive.

This voter guide is a non-partisan project created by 501c3 organizations. We do not support or oppose any candidate for public office. This guide is for informational purposes. A candidates’ fitness for office should be judged on a variety of qualifications that go beyond their responses to the questions contained in the guide. We encourage all voters to find out where the candidates stand on issues that matter in their lives and make their voices heard.