On Tuesday, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is slated to officially announce his campaign for New York governor, setting the stage for a primary showdown with Rep. Elise Stefanik. The move follows months of speculation about whether the Long Island politician—a longtime Trump ally—will take on the Housewoman, who has also announced her own bid.
“Bruce will focus on making Empire State more affordable and safer while putting New York first,” a source said. Blakeman has long been a friend of President Trump and has built a reputation on fiscal responsibility and public safety. His planned announcement will follow a strong re‑election win in Nassau County last month.
The race has already drawn attention from the White House. Trump, when asked on Monday whether he would back either candidate, remained ambiguous, saying “She’s great. He’s also great,” before adding that he would think it over. “Well, I’ll think about it,” he added when pressed about a potential endorsement. “He’s great and she’s great. They’re both great people. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party,” he continued.
Stefanik’s campaign has been rallying support from party leaders since Blakeman publicly signaled his interest. Of the 62 GOP committee chairs in the state, 58 have publicly endorsed her. Notable supporters include Rep. Mike Lawler of the Hudson Valley, who pulled back from a potential run to stay in his congressional seat. Early polling from Siena University shows Stefanik maintaining a sizable lead: in a hypothetical three‑way primary, she drew 35 % compared with Blakeman’s 7 % and Lawler’s 18 %.
In the days after the announcement, Stefanik’s team launched a verbal onslaught, accusing Blakeman of colluding with Democrats and pursuing the race for personal ego. “Bruce has no shot and is putting his raging ego first and New Yorkers last as he blows up the best opportunity in a generation to Save New York,” campaign spokesperson Bernadette Breslin wrote. “After a career of colluding with elected Democrats, Blakeman’s swan song is choosing to prop up Kathy Hochul,” she added.
Governor Hochul, meanwhile, has taken a more light‑hearted stance on the intraparty battle. At a separate event earlier in the week, she remarked that a GOP primary would “make it much more entertaining for me.” She added that “Let’s let him go at it. Let’s see how they out‑MAGA each other in the primary.”
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