Comments by side, network by network (%)
On X, 77.3% of the comments on Hochul's accounts (33,398 comments) back the Republican side. On Instagram her side reaches 21.0% of the conversation (10,621 comments). On Blakeman's Instagram, 65.8% of the comments (22,227) back his side. On @NassauExec on X, 30.7% back the Democratic side. Both candidates draw more opposition on X than on Instagram. For context, in 2025 24% of Republicans reported using X against 19% of Democrats (Pew Research Center, 2025).
Issues each side posts about (posts)
Taxes are Blakeman's ground: 173 posts, 36% of his side's posts, against 3 from Hochul's side. Hochul's side posts most about affordability (63 posts), Trump (54) and crime and safety (45). Crime and safety is also the issue the active audience raises most (17.6% of comments). Trump is the only issue raised mostly by the Democratic side (67.1% of comments).
The active audience with no side (people)
6,772 people (24.6% of the active audience) show no side in their comments. 85.9% of them commented only once, against 60.2% on the Democratic side and 57.0% on the Republican side. 4,179 wrote about a political issue at least once. The share of comments from people with no side peaks on Hochul's 9/11 remembrance post (84% of its comments).
In the full report
Six figures from the PDF. Three are open; the other three come with the full study.
Method
- Period
- Sep 6 to Oct 6, 2026 (New York time, EDT).
- Channels
- 12 accounts of the candidates, parties and allies: 7 on X and 5 on Instagram.
- Active audience
- 27,509 people who interacted, counted per network. 806 original posts and 80,290 comments.
- Scope
- The online active audience: the people who interact with the candidates, parties and allies on Instagram and X. It measures that conversation and does not sample voters. Each person is counted once per network and only comments with text are read, so totals differ slightly from the platform's daily counts.
- Extraction
- Extraction Oct 8, 2026 · 04:11 EDT (UTC-4).
Disclaimer. Data was captured by our system on the date and times indicated. Profiles, posts, comments and other indicators reflect the information available and accessible at that moment, or the sample sizing defined for the purposes of analysis, and may not correspond to the entirety of the period's activity. Removed content, deleted comments, deleted or private accounts and platform API limits are not accounted for. Extractions carried out in different periods may produce different values.
Questions
What does this study measure?
The active audience: the people who interact on social networks, here in the comments on the candidates', parties' and allies' posts on Instagram and X. It measures that conversation and does not sample voters. See active audience.
Did either campaign commission this study?
No. Neither campaign commissioned it. Felton produced it independently from public interactions on Instagram and X.
Which accounts and period does it cover?
12 accounts of the candidates, parties and allies (7 on X, 5 on Instagram), with 806 original posts and 80,290 comments, from September 6 to October 6, 2026 (New York time). Data extracted on October 8, 2026 at 04:11 EDT (UTC-4).
Does Felton run this kind of study for other brands?
Yes. Felton Audiences profiles the active audience of any brand, organisation or topic on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and X. .
