Hochul blindsided by White House halting of offshore wind projects

And we have a new candidate for state Senate in Manhattan.

Good afternoon — It’s Monday and Cookie Exchange Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was blindsided by the Trump’s decision to halt offshore wind projects after they spoke this weekend.

• Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is rallying Republicans, who Hochul said are “in chaos” and don’t treat women with respect.

• Erik Bottcher is now running to succeed state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who was elected as Manhattan Borough President last month.

• Hochul now only has one bill left to decide. She had an update Monday on where it stands.

• ICYMI: Full lists of the 72 bills Hochul approved and the 49 bills she vetoed late last week.

• This Week in New York History: ‘The Night Before Christmas’ and the North American Blizzard of 1947.

Names in today’s CapCon: Doug Burgum, Kathy Hochul, Donald J. Trump, Elise Stefanik, Bruce Blakeman, Ed Cox, Will Barclay, Erik Bottcher, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Tony Simone, Jerry Nadler, Pam Helming, Emerita Torres

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💌 ALMOST FULL: State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins will join me at the Hearst Media Center in Colonie for an in-person interview at our Capitol Confidential Pro launch party on Jan. 6 in Albany. Reserve your spot here.

Hochul on Monday (Will Waldron/Times Union)

⚡ Hochul responds to Trump administration halting two off-shore wind projects

Two offshore wind projects — Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind 1 — were halted by the Trump administration Monday over unspecific national security concerns.

Both were expected to begin commercial operation in 2027 and produce about 1.7 GW of electricity combined. For context, the new nuclear plant in New York will generate at least 1 GW.

“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.

Both projects have been in development for several years. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had spoken to President Donald J. Trump over the weekend but he hadn’t mentioned anything about the wind projects.