Gov. Kathy Hochul was ranked dead last among all 50 state governors for protecting freedoms, according to a new Cato Institute study.
Hochul, 66, scored a dismal 18.02 percent and received an “F” grade in the libertarian think tank’s inaugural 2026 “Freedom in the 50 States” gubernatorial rankings, released this week. She finished behind Democratic governors from Hawaii, California, Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the bottom tier.
The annual study, which previously graded only states, expanded this year to evaluate individual governors on how their actions advanced or restricted freedoms within their borders. Researchers weighed economic and personal policy categories including fiscal policy, housing, occupational licensing, education, firearms, speech and medical freedoms.
New York state itself fared nearly as poorly, ranking 49th nationwide for overall freedoms with a 31.9 percent score. Only Hawaii scored lower among states at 29.24 percent.
The gubernatorial rankings showed some partisan patterns but notable exceptions. Republicans dominated the top spots, with Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte earning first place at 62.31 percent and an “A” grade. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took third at 52.61 percent, while Texas Gov. Greg Abbott landed fourth at 50.67 percent.
Yet party lines did not hold uniformly. Colorado’s Democratic Gov. Jared Polis ranked second overall for freedom promotion among governors, while Arizona — led by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and carried by Trump in the 2024 presidential election — scored first overall for state freedoms despite its governor placing lower individually.
Three right-leaning states also appeared in the bottom 10 for overall state freedoms: Alabama, South Carolina and Alaska, the latter two with Republican governors. Two Republican governors sat in the bottom gubernatorial ranks alongside the largely Democratic lower tier.
The study assigned percentage scores out of 100 based on how state laws promoted freedoms across each measured category. Researchers then assessed whether governors’ specific actions in office amplified or undermined those existing policy frameworks.
Hochul’s failing grade came despite her positioning as a moderate Democrat who assumed office in August 2021 following Andrew Cuomo’s resignation. She won a full term in 2022 but has faced mounting political pressures, including a surprisingly competitive polling position against Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in a hypothetical 2026 matchup.
The Cato Institute, founded in 1974 by Charles Koch and based in Washington, D.C., has long advocated for limited government and free-market policies. Its state freedom rankings have drawn criticism from progressive policy analysts who argue the methodology overweights certain economic regulations while understating social welfare protections.
This year’s expansion to grade individual governors represents a significant shift in the study’s scope, creating a direct accountability mechanism that previous editions lacked. The governor-specific scoring applies only to current officeholders’ records rather than historical assessments.
Among states, Montana placed second behind Arizona, with Nevada third and Florida fourth. Massachusetts and Rhode Island joined the bottom five states alongside Hawaii and New York, while California ranked 48th just ahead of New York.
The firearms and medical policy categories have proven particularly contentious in recent years as states diverged sharply on pandemic-era health measures and gun legislation following the 2022 Supreme Court decision expanding Second Amendment rights.
Hochul’s administration has pursued stricter gun control measures and defended New York’s concealed carry restrictions in court, policies that likely contributed to her low score in the firearms category. The governor has also maintained COVID-19 era health policies longer than many peer states.
The study’s release comes as Hochul prepares for a challenging reelection environment in 2026, with progressive advocates criticizing her from the left on housing and criminal justice issues while Republicans attack her record on taxes and public safety.
Hochul has not publicly responded to the Cato Institute rankings as of this writing.