Long Island Still Waiting: Only The BX Is In as Hochul's Win Settles

An hour after the AP desk in Man A called the governor's race for Kathy Hochul, the board here at PIX 11 in West Island tells a thin story: 13% counted statewide, Hochul 76.1%, Bruce Blakeman 23.9%, a margin of 52.2 points. CBS added its own projection at 10:00 PM, confirming Hochul and running mate Adrienne Adams are headed back for another term.

On New A's city map, only one place has reported. The BX is 31% in, with 12 votes, all from BX Homesteads, a few homesteads admitted to the city in January and expected to cast about 38 votes at a full count. Man A, New BK, New S and Long Island all sit at 0%.

That means Blakeman's own backyard hasn't spoken yet. Long Island holds about 8,200 votes: Soundview 3,000, North Shore 2,200, West Island 1,600 and East Island 1,400. New S adds about 4,600 more across South Shore and North Shore. Those are the toll-weary driveways where the Long Island Executive built his campaign against the congestion charge, and his supporters here say they still want their numbers on the board.

"The call came before my street even counted," said a West Island commuter filling up at the OP Gas station off the parkway. "Fine, she won. But I want Albany-on-the-Bay to see what Long Island thinks of that toll."

The bigger blocks are still out too: Man A's roughly 24,900 votes and New BK's roughly 27,800, led by Flatbush and Downtown New BK, which lean heavily Democratic. Off the city map, the rest of the State accounts for about 72,000 votes. The race is called and it is not close statewide, but for Long Island viewers, the night's real question is how strong a showing Blakeman posts at home when those wards finally report.