“MONEY IN YOUR POCKET!”

The all-caps declaration from Mayor Eric Adams arrived in late summer, in the form of a news release promoting a plan to connect more New Yorkers with benefits like child care vouchers and free tax preparation. A few weeks later, Gov. Kathy Hochul sent out a notice with a nearly identical headline — “MONEY IN YOUR POCKETS!” — which cited her push to increase financial aid for local college students.

After the presidential election, the frenzy began in earnest.

New Yorkers vying to be the city’s next mayor and comptroller and candidates for the City Council trumpeted plans aimed at lowering the cost of housing, child care and groceries. Mr. Adams stood in front of a gigantic scroll listing his efforts to build “a safer, more affordable city” in 2024.

New York is facing a once-in-a-generation affordability crisis that has left roughly half of city households struggling to pay for basic necessities. Even middle- and upper-income families are eyeing the exits, as they weigh the costs of raising a family here.

As New Yorkers consider who will run their city and state in 2025 and beyond, the message from candidates is clear: Vote for me, and I’ll make living here more affordable.

That promise has taken on fresh urgency as the state’s Democratic leadership scrambles to apply lessons from President-elect Donald J. Trump’s election to their own campaigns. Mr. Trump, a Republican, made major inroads in New York, a blue state reeling from rising costs, including in some of its poorest neighborhoods, long Democratic strongholds.

Mr. Adams, who is up for re-election this year, and Ms. Hochul, who must defend her seat in 2026, are seeing deep frustration over pocketbook issues reflected in their own sinking approval ratings.