Hochul stands by Democratic leader Jay Jacobs, despite disappointing results

Democrats across New York – and the country – are pretty miffed at how the state party dropped the ball on congressional races. They've directed much of their ire towards the state party chair, Jay Jacobs.  But according to Gov. Kathy Hochul, he's staying put for now 

Speaking to reporters Thursday afternoon in Puerto Rico during the annual Somos conference, Hochul said she has no plans to replace the beleaguered head of the party. "We're not making any decisions, I think he did a great job as chair," Hochul said.  

Jacobs laid the blame for Democrats' poor performance down ballot compared to the rest of the country on progressives moving the party too far to the left and told City & State that he doesn't accept any blame or responsibility for the lost congressional seats. Hochul was also unwilling to lay any blame on him, or on herself as the de facto leader of New York Democrats. She underperformed in the parts of the state where Democrats suffered the heaviest losses. "There's no reason to cast blame on anyone right now," Hochul said. "It's all about how we move forward." Ever the peacemaker, she credited support she had among progressives as aiding her victory, declining to bite at Jacobs’ critique that their politics hurt the party.