Hochul looked like a ‘deer in the headlights’ during NY Gov. Blakeman debate: body language expert

Gov. Kathy Hochul appeared defensive and dismissive while drawing fiery attacks from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman during New York’s gubernatorial debate Tuesday, an expert in human behavior and body language said.

While the outgoing president looked like “a deer in the headlights,” her Republican opponent was aggressive — repeatedly attacking Hochul over high energy costs, taxes and growing anti-Semitism in New York, Dr. Lillian Glass told the Post.

Blakeman sometimes even visibly showed his “anger,” according to Glass, who holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and communication disorders and who testified in court as an expert witness in the field.

Glass provided his expert opinion on some key moments in the debate:

Hochul stumbles out of the door

Hochul stumbled in her opening statement as she launched into the first of nearly 20 mentions of President Trump during the hour-long program.

“And you’re going to hear a lot of…a lot…of different opinions here tonight,” Hochul said, struggling to find her words — something Glass said she said exudes Hochul’s “defensiveness.”

“It didn’t go well, especially for someone who is an incumbent governor,” Glass said, noting it showed a lack of preparation.

“Not good. Not pretty,” she said.

Hochul on his back foot

Hochul’s defensive posture extended to taking long pauses before answering questions, frequently smiling and looking at the podium, and smiling while Blakeman spoke.

“There was also a lot of down time where she had to take her time crafting a response. Whereas Blakeman got right to the point and responded directly to her and had very, very direct accusations towards her,” Glass said, praising the Long Island pol’s jabs.

“What happens is you see Kathy Hochul really embarrassed. She blinks a lot and she looks down and smiles. She doesn’t handle it well,” she added.

Overall, Blakeman simply presented himself better, according to the expert.

“There’s a closing of his throat, there’s a nasality that’s very difficult to listen to,” Glass said of Hochul.

The Cornell moment

Blakeman lunged at the Democratic governor during an exchange about changing state laws in response to Cornell University gang rape accusations in 2024. Blakeman accused the governor of not using her emeritus seat on the Ivy League university’s board of trustees or the state’s influence over the institution to demand a more immediate investigation.

“As administrator and governor, you failed to call for an independent investigation when you found out the DA was dropping the case. Shame on you,” Blakeman charged.

“The university failed this young lady,” Hochul responded, staring straight into the camera with a blank look on her face.

“She was like a deer in the headlights,” Glass said.

“She is a person who loses a lot of points and a lot of people respect her,” added the body language expert.

Getting Bruce Juice

Blakeman could be seen blinking rapidly throughout the debate, which Glass attributed to “anger” rather than nervousness.

“The fact that you see the jaw movement and the eye blinking is not insecurity. It’s anger at what she’s saying,” Glass said.

This was especially visible as Hochul accused Blakeman of being politically connected to Trump.

“He’s angry, he wants to tell the truth and wants to fight back,” Glass said.

Blakeman needs a spark to narrow the 9- to 11-point gap in recent polls, as Democrats hold a clear registration advantage in deeply blue New York.

Hochul remains highly unpopular in the polls, but Blakeman still faces an uphill battle to unseat the incumbent, who first took office in 2021 when former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace.

Election day is November 3.

Nicholas Perrone contributed reporting.