Gov. Kathy Hochul appeared defensive and dismissive during Tuesday’s New York gubernatorial debate, while Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman delivered a series of forceful attacks, according to human behavior and body-language expert Dr. Lillian Glass.
Glass said the incumbent governor at times looked like “a deer in headlights,” while her Republican challenger aggressively pressed her on New York’s high energy costs, taxes and rising antisemitism.
Blakeman also visibly conveyed what Glass described as “anger” during portions of the debate. Glass holds doctorates in counseling psychology and communication disorders and has served as an expert witness in court.
Glass offered her assessment of several pivotal moments from the debate:
Hochul stumbles out of the gate
Hochul appeared to stumble during her opening remarks, mentioning President Trump for the first time in what would become nearly 20 references during the hour-long debate.
“And you’re going to hear a lot of… lot of… different opinions here this evening,” Hochul said as she searched for the right words. Glass said the hesitation projected what she viewed as the governor’s “defensiveness.”
“It did not come off well, especially for somebody who is an incumbent governor,” Glass said, adding that the moment suggested Hochul was not fully prepared.
“Not good. Not a good look,” she added.
Hochul on her back foot
Glass said Hochul’s guarded demeanor continued as the debate progressed. The governor often paused before responding, smiled while looking down at the podium and continued smiling as Blakeman spoke.
“There was also a lot of pause time where she had to take her time to manufacture an answer. Whereas Blakeman just went right to it and had answers right back to her and had accusations that were very, very straightforward towards her,” Glass said, praising the Long Island executive’s approach.
“What’s happening is you’re seeing Kathy Hochul really embarrassed. She’s blinking a lot and she’s looking down, smiling. She’s not handling this well,” Glass said.
Overall, Glass concluded that Blakeman presented himself more effectively than Hochul.
“There’s a closing off of her throat, there’s a nasality that’s very difficult to listen to,” Glass said of the governor’s delivery.
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The Cornell Moment
Blakeman pressed Hochul during a clash over whether New York should change its laws following allegations of a 2024 gang rape at Cornell University. He accused the governor of failing to use her emeritus board position at the Ivy League school, as well as the state’s influence over the university, to push for a faster investigation.
“As a trustee and as governor, you didn’t call for an independent investigation when you found out that the district attorney was dropping the case. Shame on you,” Blakeman said.
“The university failed that young woman,” Hochul responded, looking directly into the camera with a blank expression.
“She was like a deer in the headlights,” Glass said.
“That is a person losing a lot of points and a lot of people having respect for her,” the body-language expert added.
Getting the Bruce juiced
Blakeman rapidly blinked at various points during the debate. Glass attributed the behavior to anger rather than nervousness.
“That you’re seeing the jaw movement and the eye blinking is not insecurity. It’s anger at what she’s saying,” Glass said.
This was especially noticeable as Hochul was peppering Blakeman with accusations of being politically joined at the hip with Trump.
“He’s angry, and he wants to tell the truth, and wants to fight back,” Glass said.
Blakeman needs a spark to close the 9-to-11-point gap in recent polls as Democrats hold a marked registration advantage in deeply blue New York.
Hochul remains highly unpopular in polls, but Blakeman still faces an uphill battle to unseat the incumbent, who first took office in 2021 when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
Nicholas Perrone contributed reporting.