Governor Hochul’s 2026 Re-Election Campaign Announces Campaign Manager
Governor Hochul’s campaign today announced Preston Elliott as campaign manager for the 2026 re-election campaign.
Preston comes to Governor Hochul’s team with two decades of campaign experience on the country’s top tier races. Most recently, Preston served as the Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s Independent Expenditure and has run several Democratic gubernatorial and senate campaigns including in Michigan, North Carolina, California, Texas and Montana. He managed Governor Whitmer’s successful re-election in 2022, Senator Tester’s 2012 Senate win, and the Nevada Coordinated Campaign for Senator Reid’s 2010 victory. He also served as the Deputy Executive Director at the DSCC in 2016, picking up two seats.
“Preston is a top-tier campaign operative with decades of experience managing some of the toughest races in the country,” said Governor Hochul. “As I enter my 16th election, I know how critical it is to have a battle-tested campaign team that will lead Democrats across the ballot to victory next year—protecting our Democratic House seats and positioning Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker. Preston’s strategic vision, expertise, and proven track record will be invaluable as we engage voters statewide and hit the ground running for 2026.”
The new hire comes following Governor Hochul’s recent announcement of $32.5 million raised during the off-cycle for her campaign and state party and a successful 2024 election cycle in New York. Preston will lead Governor Hochul’s re-election campaign and support the New York State Democratic Party in its efforts to secure Democratic wins up and down the ballot in 2026 and beyond.
