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State Senator James Skoufis of New York has been a steady critic of Gov. Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat. Her vetoes of his bills seemed intended to send a message.
Nov. 13, 2025Updated 2:19 p.m. ET
Upon first glance, the seven bills Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed one Thursday in mid-October seemed to have little in common.
One would have required the state to respond more quickly to public records requests. Another would have forced grocery delivery services to be more transparent about pricing. A third would have made nursing homes designate specific storage spaces for deceased patients.
But one similarity quickly caught the eyes of Albany: All were sponsored by Senator James Skoufis, a moderate Democrat representing most of Orange County.
Mr. Skoufis, 38, is an ambitious legislator who ran an unsuccessful campaign last year to lead the Democratic National Committee. He has never been shy about criticizing the governor.
After a protracted budget battle last year, Mr. Skoufis gave a speech on the Senate floor blasting her approach as “authoritarian.” He later asserted that Ms. Hochul had “demonstrated an inability to be competent.”
Tensions between the two have only increased as Mr. Skoufis, who heads the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, has led a high-profile inquiry into the government contractor Public Partnerships L.L.C., whose handling of a beloved $11 billion home care program has been dogged by controversy.
