Gov. Kathy Hochul’s debt to left, Working Families Party comes due after election win

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s debt to the far left is now coming due, but just how much she is beholden to the Working Families Party — which has openly taken credit for getting her elected to a full term — remains to be se♑en, Albany pols and insiders told The Post.

Hochul, who has tried to position herself as a moderate Democrat, finds herself in the compromising position of having to also satisfy the WFP and o꧃ther staunch progressives, insiders said.

“The WFP will certainly try and collect on big-🥀list items like ensuring she doesn’t [roll back] bail reform and putting more money into mental health resources and other social services,” said a Democratic elected official.🐷 “It’s a matter of how woke she’s willing to go.”

Another Albany insider said she’d be foolish to follow the Working Families Party’s lead and ignore that she nearly became the first Democrat to lose a statewide elec🅰tion in 20 years because New Yorkers believe s﷽he’s swung too left lately.

“If she does 🔯go further left, if she does legalize s💃ex work, push ‘good cause’ election stuff that further destabilizes the housing market in New York, she’s not learning the lesson of the election,” he added. “People are angry with the far-left Democratic messages, and it almost cost her the race.”

With the soft-on-crime WFP’s help, Hochul eked out a close win over her law-and-order Republ💞ican challenger Rep. Lee Zeldin, with unofficial results having her ahead by slightly over 300,000 votes or 5%.

It was an unexpe꧋ctedly close race considering Democrats hold a more than 2-to-1 enrollment adva𝐆ntage over Republicans in New York, and Hochul’s campaign raised a record $50 million.

Zeldin na🧸rr⛄owed the gap during the campaign’s stretch run by driving home the point that New Yorkers – like much of the country – are most concerned about rising crime and inflation.

State Sen.💜 Jessica Ramos, a Qu﷽eens Democrat with a long history of being cross-endorsed by the Working Families Party, said there’s no doubt Hochul needed both the WFP and labor unions’ 11th-hour support on the ground to eke out a victory.

Like many other Democrats, Ramos is laying much of the blame for Hochulཧ’s near-defeat on the state Democrat🎐ic Party’s leadership.

Hochul has said she haꦯs no desire to repla𒁃ce Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State Democratic Committee.

Among the key platforms, Ramos hopes the governor will deliver for progressives are universal childcare, boosting mental health programs, and lighting a fire under Mayor Eric Adams to deliver a promis⭕e to shut down problem-plagued Rikers Island.

Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Deಌmocratic consultant, said Hochul will have tough choices to make.

“The [Working Families Party] and the rest of the fa♕r left wants to cut cops, close Rikers, and make sure we keep spending moꦐney we don’t have on social services,” said Sheinkopf. “The problem is she’s going to have to clean up the streets from criminals and cut expenses — not so simple when you depend on people who have the exact opposite agenda.”

The WFP says it boosted the governor’s campaign by sending more than 2 million text messages, making over 250,000 calls, delivering thre💝e rounds of mailers, and having its operat🍃ives do plenty of in-person canvassing to help get out the vote.

The party endorsed Hochul for governor in part to help secure a mandatory 130,000 votes or overall 2% statewide vote total it 🗹needs to maintain automatic ballot access in future elections. The alliance helped the party score more than enough — nearly 250,000 votes.

Sheinkopf and o🌊ther insiders say they expect the WFP to lobby Hochul hard to back legislation making it easier for so-called “third parties” to mai🍨ntain their ballot positions.

When asked what issues the WFP expects Hochul to make a priority, the party’s spokesman Ravi Mangla said they include boosting affordable housing and childcare, lowering utility costs, and investing in improving educational opportunities for all at the State University of New York and the 🍬City University of New York.

Hochul’s office said the governor stands by comments she made Thursday.

“It’s all about how we move forward, and I’m grateful to have the support of progressives and organized labor and clergy and elected officials from every corner of the state,” she then said.

“It was really a broad-based coalition that led to our victory throughout the state of New York. That’s what I’m focused on: making sure that those ties are strengthened.”

However, a source told The Post on Wednesday that the governor’s campaign ♏is furious t♚hat the WFP took credit for Hochul’s victory, claiming the WFP only promoted her out of self-preservation.