After winning a second term as Nassau County Executive, Bruce Blakeman is eyeing a statewide seat.
Blakeman announced earlier this week he’s considering challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul, who’s seeking reelection, in next year’s governor’s race.
“I will be meeting with a group of leaders across the state in the next couple of weeks about whether I should run for governor,” Blakeman told reporters. “I know I will win if I make the decision to run.”
Hochul has not responded to a request for comment on Blakeman’s interest in the race.
Blakeman has served as county executive since beating then-Democratic incumbent Laura Curran in 2022. Prior to holding the county seat, he represented Oceanside and Valley Stream on the Nassau County Legislature, Hempstead Town Council and as a commissioner for the New York-New Jersey Port Authority.
Hochul stepped into the governor’s seat in 2021 after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned following accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct. She won a full term in 2022. Previously, she served as the state’s lieutenant governor, represented Erie and Niagara County in Congress and served on the Hamburg Town Board.
Blakeman has waged unsuccessful statewide runs in the past. In 1998, he lost the general election as the Republican nominee for state comptroller. In 2010 and 2014, he lost runs to represent New York in the Senate, in the primary and general elections, respectively.
Blakeman said he’d consider candidacy for governor if he felt there was support. He said he believed “the path to defeating Gov. Hochul starts on Long Island,” according to published reports.
He added that he felt Hochul was “wildly unpopular” on Long Island and that her endorsement of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani would hurt her.
While polls show New York will stay blue in the governor’s race, they also speak to Hochul’s slipping popularity: A July Siena College Poll showed that 55% of people wanted to vote for “someone else” rather than Hochul for governor, and that only 37% wanted to vote for her.
The same poll shows U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who represents a portion of rural, upstate New York, including Clinton and Fulton Counties in Congress and formally announced her campaign for governor on social media Friday morning, leading over Blakeman’s prospective run.
“Kathy Hochul is the Worst Governor in America,” Stefanik’s post reads. “Under her failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery bills.”
Her announcement, which inaccurately referred to Hochul as a “communist,” included an emphasis on affordability, protecting police funding and keeping taxes low. Republican New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa has endorsed her.
Hochul responded to Stefanik’s announcement by calling her Trump’s “top ally,”
“Elise Stefanik is running to deliver New York for Donald Trump and raise your costs,” Hochul said in a social media post.
On the Democratic side, Hochul will face at least one primary challenger:
Current Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. It’s uncommon for lieutenant governors to run against sitting governors, as the two typically run and work as partners.
Delgado has said he’s running to champion everyday people, doesn’t see a “clear vision” in Hochul and has emphasized unaffordable housing, childcare and healthcare costs as primary issues. His challenge is seen as a long shot and has not been well received by the Democratic establishment, with elected officials like U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi casting doubt on the viability of his run.
The governor’s election is Nov. 3, 2026. The Republican and Democratic primaries are on June 23, 2026.
