Since Governor Kathy Hochul endorsed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in September, the unlikely allies have presented a united front. That dynamic continued during and after Hochul’s annual State of the State speech Tuesday, which laid out an agenda that had significant overlap with Mamdani’s campaign promises — but also key differences.

Mamdani campaigned on making child care universal and free in New York City. On Tuesday, Hochul reiterated her pledges to put billions of dollars toward child care for children as young as 2 in the city, and expand child care vouchers and pre-K funding across the state.

Mamdani, who as an assemblymember often criticized Hochul, hailed her after the speech for “transforming the lives” of New York City’s children and “making our state affordable for thousands of parents.”

If 2025 was the year Governor Kathy Hochul embraced “abundance” as the solution to New York’s woes — above all, the rising cost of living — 2026 is her year to show that she was just getting started.

That is, at least, what Hochul vowed in her State of the State address on Tuesday, putting the promise to “build, build, build” at the center of her agenda. And it is increasingly her answer to the conundrum facing New York’s energy system: how to keep the lights on while meeting growing demand for electricity, keeping utility bills in check, and fighting climate change.

Nowhere is this clearer than with nuclear energy, which she’s making her signature energy policy as she seeks reelection. On Tuesday, the governor announced efforts to build four gigawatts’ worth of new reactors in the state. Combined with the one gigawatt she tasked the state power authority with building last year, that would be slightly more than the entire United States has built in the last three decades, and rival the total amount New York has ever built.

“If there’s one thing I believe, it’s this: Go big or go home,” Hochul said of the nuclear plans.

After pledging last year to put New York state “on a pathway” to universal child care, Governor Kathy Hochul used this year’s State of the State address to lay out the roadmap to get there.

“We want New York to be the number one place for anyone about to start a family and build their future,” she said. “When we do that, we all win.”

The governor reiterated the plan she announced last week, alongside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, to fully fund the first two years of free child care for 2-year-olds across New York City. The program would launch with 2,000 seats in high-need areas this fall, and expand to more than 30,000 over the next four years.