BIDEN’S BESTIE: Gov. Kathy Hochul really, really wants four more years of President Joe Biden. And she says it’s not for any self-serving reason, like, say, wanting a post in his cabinet or an ambassadorship in a tranquil, picturesque foreign nation. Playbook asked her today if she would ever consider a spot in a future Biden administration. “Hell no,” she answered during an unrelated press conference. “There's no job on planet Earth I’d rather be doing than to be the governor of the greatest state of the nation for as long as the voters will have me.” Politicians almost never cop to eyeing other jobs so her response wasn’t surprising but we figured we’d ask anyhow, given just how fervently she is supporting a president whose campaign is in dire straits. Her commitment to Biden, her backers tell us, is not only unwavering, it’s selfless. “Her motivations are all about doing what’s right for New York and winning in November,” said Jefrey Pollock, pollster and president of Global Strategy Group who works with Hochul’s campaign. We also asked her if there was anything — anything at all — that might cause her to doubt her support for the 81-year-old Biden or rethink if he could do the job at 85 or 86 years old. “No,” she responded. “I'll take him any day of the week over anything else.” Hochul isn’t the only governor showing strong support for Biden as more and more House Democrats have come out and called for him to step aside after his halting debate performance last month. Gov. Gavin Newsom has stood firmly behind Biden, even as his name is floated as a potential replacement. Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, another dream nominee for some Democrats, has also stuck with him. Governors, who rely on federal funding, have little to gain and lots to lose by coming out against the president. “People that are speaking out don't have those direct relationships with the White House and, in most cases, do have something personal to gain by being vocal,” said one national strategist who works in New York. The person asked not to be named to freely discuss the delicate situation embroiling the Democratic party. The strategist also said a lame duck president could be more inclined to support states like New York. While reiterating that nothing could make her lose support for Biden as the nominee, Hochul also made a point of referencing the various major infrastructure projects Biden delivered to New York. “Micron would not have happened under President Trump; we would not have the Gateway Tunnel under President Trump,” Hochul said. “I will not turn my back on that.” That commitment doesn’t surprise people who know Hochul; those Playbook spoke with described her as fiercely loyal. “What she has seen is a president that has consistently delivered for New York state,” Pollock said. “The loyalty in Irish blood runs very deep.” Chris Coffey, another Democratic strategist in New York, also pointed out the governor’s Irish roots when asked about her support for Biden, who plays up his own Irish roots. “She’s a loyal person,” he said, ticking off a list of reasons for Hochul’s posture. “She's sort of loyal by nature, I think, as one Irish pol to another right?”
— Jason Beeferman | 
