Republicans may have their best shot in decades to flip New York.
The stars aligned in ways nobody thought possible.
Because Bruce Blakeman just set up a GOP primary bloodbath in the Empire State.
Nassau County Executive Squeeks Under Deadline With Late Entry
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman threw a grenade into the New York governor's race Tuesday morning.
The 70-year-old announced on Fox & Friends he's running for governor — despite Congresswoman Elise Stefanik already being in the race since November.
"We want to put New York first, we want to make it more affordable, we want to make New York safer, and we want to make people in New York happy again," Blakeman told host Brian Kilmeade.¹
Sounds great.
Except Stefanik's been saying the exact same thing for weeks while building a statewide operation and raising millions.
Blakeman won reelection as Nassau County Executive just last month with 55.6% of the vote.² He's made his name banning transgender athletes from county sports facilities, creating volunteer law enforcement units, and working with federal immigration authorities under Trump's crackdown.
The Left calls him "100% MAGA" and he wears it as a badge of honor.
Battle Ahead for New York GOP
Polling shows Stefanik leading Blakeman by a massive margin thus far in a Republican primary.
A J.L. Partners survey found Stefanik crushing Blakeman 74 percent to 5 percent among Republican primary voters.³
That's a 69-point blowout.
Stefanik's campaign tried to twist the knife after his announcement, saying "Public polling has repeatedly shown Elise Stefanik leads Blakeman by 70% in a primary, including beating him soundly on Long Island."⁴
They didn't stop there.
"Elise's record is in stark contrast to Bruce Blakeman who is anti-2A (the kiss of death Upstate), who has a record of donating to and supporting corrupt Far Left Democrats, and who has lost numerous statewide, federal, and local races in smashing fashion," Stefanik's campaign added.⁴
Ouch.
But it's all true.
Blakeman ran for U.S. Senate — lost badly.
U.S. House — lost badly.
State comptroller — lost badly.
His only win came in 2022 when he beat a Democrat for Nassau County Executive.
That's it.
President Trump tried to play nice when asked about both candidates, saying "He's great and she's great. They're both great people."⁴
But everyone knows where Trump's loyalty lies.
He nominated Stefanik for U.N. ambassador, regularly praises her leadership, and has called her one of the Republican Party's brightest stars.
Blakeman told Fox & Friends "I don't think the president has to make a decision now. Let's see how it plays out."¹
He knows Trump's with Stefanik and he's hoping nobody notices.
Democrats Pop the Champagne as Republicans Eat Their Own
Kathy Hochul's campaign couldn't contain their excitement.
They immediately labeled Blakeman "Bootlicker Bruce" and said he "has lost just about every race he's touched — county legislator, comptroller, Congress, even U.S. Senate."¹
Campaign communications director Sarafina Chitika piled on, claiming Blakeman "takes money out of New Yorkers' pockets and squeezes working families at every turn."¹
Hochul herself welcomed the chaos, telling reporters "If there's a Republican primary, it makes it much more entertaining for me."⁵
A Manhattan Institute poll from October showed Stefanik getting 43 percent support compared to Hochul's 42 percent — a virtual tie that gave Republicans their first real shot at winning the governorship since 2006.⁶
Hochul is historically vulnerable.
Only 35% of New York residents think she's doing an excellent or good job, while 56% rate her performance as fair or poor.⁷
A majority of New Yorkers — 53%, including 33% of Democrats — don't think Hochul is a good leader for the state.⁷
And 57% of residents don't want her to run for re-election.⁷
Those are catastrophic numbers for an incumbent.
Republicans should be laser-focused on taking down the most beatable Democrat governor in America.
Blakeman's got name recognition on Long Island and nowhere else.
Stefanik is beloved upstate where Blakeman is a complete unknown.
She's got Trump's support, national fundraising networks, and a 70-point lead in primary polls.
¹ Fox News, "Bruce Blakeman announces his run for New York governor, setting up GOP primary clash with Elise Stefanik," December 9, 2025.
² Long Island Press, "Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to announce bid for governor," December 8, 2025.
³ Yahoo News, "New poll shows Stefanik 3 points behind Hochul in New York governor's race," November 12, 2025.
⁴ Spectrum News, "Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman launches bid for New York governor," December 9, 2025.
⁵ Daily Voice, "Nassau Exec Bruce Blakeman Launching NY Governor Bid, Setting Up Maga Showdown: Report," December 8, 2025.
⁶ The Hill, "Polling: Elise Stefanik ahead of Kathy Hochul in New York gubernatorial race," October 28, 2025.
⁷ Marist Poll, "The State of New York, April 2025," April 2025.
