Gov. Hochul in Buffalo as mayoral race enters home stretch

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul was in Buffalo Saturday morning to encourage voters to hit the polls ahead of Tuesday's election. WIVB News 4 cameras were there and also caught up with all three mayoral candidates for their final pitches to voters.

"You have to gut it out til' the very end just like Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills do," Gov. Hochul said to a packed room of voters at Babeville on Delaware Avenue.

Gov. Hochul was joined by Democrats from across Erie County to rally as part of a final push to get voters to the polls ahead of the election.

A race many have been following with high anticipation is Buffalo's mayoral race. This will be the first time the city's elected a new mayor since Byron Brown back in 2005.

"This is an opportunity to propel a new leader into a position that is so critically important," Gov. Hochul said. "Buffalo is a very significant city."

Gov. Hochul threw her support behind the Democratic-endorsed candidate for mayor, Sean Ryan, who has vowed to bring Buffalo back to the basics if elected.

"The City of Buffalo, we've gone a little backwards, we seem to have forgotten about how to serve the people of the City of Buffalo," Ryan said. "We've forgotten how to fix the potholes, we forgot how to plow our streets, we forgot how to have our pools open, but we're going to bring back the basics, and we're going to bring those basics back to make sure we have top services for our people."

News 4 also caught up with the other two candidates running for the top job in Buffalo, including Republican candidate James Gardner, who vowed to fix the potholes, combat crime, and bring change to the city if elected. He said it's time a Republican is put in charge.

"The Democratic Party has had 60 years and this is the result. In my lifetime, I've only known three mayors -- I'm 41 years old," Gardner said. "That is no way to lead a city. People want change. They've had 60, give me four."

Independent mayoral candidate Michael Gainer vowed to be a mayor who makes sure the city lives up to its nickname.

"My duty and my responsibility is to create a community where we're caring for one another, where we're taking care of each other," Gainer said. "Where we're looking out for our neighbors, where we're putting our businesses and our families and our communities first, and that is a comprehensive attitude and perspective that we need to set the tone for at the very top."

Gov. Hochul's visit to Erie County came on the heels of a similar push by Republicans that saw RNC co-chair KC Crosbie in town last weekend to drum up support for the GOP ahead of the election.

"The fact that the National Republican Party has been here in Erie County and the Governor has come here for one of the rare moments where she's even invited to rally with candidates shows you that these are going to be tight elections," said Michael Kracker, Erie County's Republican Chairman.