# Hochul and Blakeman duel over rising costs

> Governor Hochul and Blakeman clash on affordability in New York race.
- Title: Hochul and Blakeman duel over rising costs · ABC7 New York
- Summary: Governor Hochul and Blakeman clash on affordability in New York race. New York governor Hochul and Blakeman debate rising costs with Hochul targeting…
- Keywords: kathy hochul, bruce blakeman, new york governor, affordability, insurance fraud, electricity costs, clean energy surcharges, news, local, Hochul, Blakeman, duel
- Source: ABC7 New York — https://abc7ny.com/post/ny-governors-race-hochul-blakeman-duel-affordability/19961815
- Published: 2026-10-20T22:58:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: kathy hochul, bruce blakeman, new york governor, affordability, insurance fraud, electricity costs, clean energy surcharges, news, local
## Hochul targets insurance fraud
Governor Hochul announced 16 arrests for staging car crashes to collect insurance money.
## Blakeman blames Hochul for high utility costs
Blakeman campaigned with George Pataki and blamed Hochul for expensive utility bills.
## Hochul's insurance premium claim
Hochul said the average New Yorker pays about $4,000 a year for auto insurance.
## Blakeman's utility bill proposals
Blakeman proposed cutting utility bills in half by rolling back clean energy surcharges.
## Hochul rejects Blakeman's energy plan
Hochul called Blakeman's energy proposals unrealistic and extreme for New York.
## Key takeaway

New York governor Hochul and Blakeman debate rising costs with Hochul targeting insurance fraud and Blakeman proposing utility bill cuts.