First posted on Instagram
Rapper Nicki Minaj has publicly turned on New York Governor Kathy Hochul, calling her "an evil woman" and urging voters to back her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, in Tuesday's election for governor.
In a post on X, Minaj wrote: "Kathy Hochul is an evil woman. The Democratic Party should forfeit her seat because even if she wins, she will be of great consequence to them. Downward spiral for her. She will not escape God's wrath. She did not denounce evil when she had the chance."
In a second post, Minaj quoted Hochul's remark back at her and told her followers how to vote: "HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU NEED TO SEE & HEAR FROM THEM?!! HOW DARE YOU AS BLACK PEOPLE VOTE FOR THIS VILE WICKED CURSE OF A WOMAN? HOW DARE YOU AS CHRISTIANS?! SHE STAYS SILENT ON HARM BEING CAUSED TO THE INNOCENT & THIS IS WHAT SHE THINKS OF YOUR CHILDREN! Vote BLAKEMAN!"
The remark Minaj was reacting to dates to May 2024, when Hochul, speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference about her $400 million Empire AI initiative, said: "Right now we have, you know, young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don't even know what the word 'computer' is." Hochul later walked the comment back, saying she "misspoke" and regretted it.
Blakeman, the Republican nominee for governor, has made the remark a campaign weapon, running a digital advertisement built around it after opening a campaign office in the Bronx.
Hochul answered Minaj the next day, telling reporters Minaj should "get outside and get offline a little more" and "stop going to Trump rallies," which she said were "poisoning your mind." In Peekskill, she added: "I'm not evil. I'm nice. I'm nice."
Minaj's intervention comes days after she appeared onstage with President Donald Trump at a Republican campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, where she pledged to support him again. Blakeman, who is running to unseat Hochul, has Trump's endorsement; Hochul, a Democrat who became governor in 2021, is seeking a second full term. New Yorkers vote on Tuesday, November 3.
— Update: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 —
Hochul won a second full term on November 3, defeating Blakeman by about 20 points, 59.7 percent to 40.0 percent. The Associated Press called the race as polls closed at 9 p.m., and Blakeman called Hochul to concede.