NEW YORK — Long Island Republican Bruce Blakeman hasn’t ruled out a run for governor in 2026, but he has to keep his day job first.
The Nassau County executive whose looks and loyalty have won Donald Trump’s praise launched his reelection campaign Monday at a wall-to-wall packed American Legion Post in the suburb just east of New York City.
Blakeman’s quest for a second term could get competitive, but the backing of Nassau GOP Chair Joe Cairo and his storied political apparatus will go a long way in getting voters to the polls. The local party with a penchant for pageantry rolled out a literal red carpet for Blakeman, who walked it to his techno-esque theme song, “Let’s Get Down to Business.”
There was a fog machine. There was a confetti drop. And there was plenty of Trump boosting.
“Chairman Cairo and I went down to the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, and it was like a breath of fresh air,” said Blakeman, who talks regularly with the president and was instrumental in bringing him to Long Island during the campaign season. “But nobody could believe the changes that he’s made and the momentum that he’s had in these first five weeks in office. And think about it, he loves Long Island. He loves Nassau County.”
Blakeman didn’t mention the race for governor from the stage, but his review of his record — including banning face masks, blocking trans athletes from women’s sports and deputizing local detectives for federal immigration enforcement — struck all the right right-wing notes. He also boasted that he has not raised taxes for several years.
“Nassau County is the most patriotic county in America,” he crowed.
Democrats outnumber Republicans in enrollment by about 80,000 in Nassau County, though Trump won the county by 30,000 votes.
Voter enrollment is where Blakeman’s Democratic challenger Seth Koslow has an edge.
“Under Bruce Blakeman, Nassau taxpayers are paying more and getting less,” Koslow said in a statement. “Taxes are higher, crime is rising, and millions in illegal fees have not been refunded. Instead of helping hardworking families, he is using taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of his political donors and party cronies.”
Koslow, a Nassau County legislator, was not immediately available for an interview because he was in session. He’s among the Democrats who have sued Blakeman over his initiative to arm citizens for deployment during emergencies — a program his critics have said is akin to a militia.
The mask and trans bans have also been challenged in court.
Blakeman and Rep. Mike Lawler of the Hudson Valley are the top two New York GOP names floated as potential challengers to Gov. Kathy Hochul. And while Blakeman is a hard-right pro-Trumper, Lawler has staked out a more moderate lane.
Asked if the race for governor is on his mind, Blakeman told POLITICO on Monday, “Not at all, not at all. … The race for governor is two years away, and anybody who thinks that things aren’t going to change, they’re foolish. They don’t know anything about politics. I’m just going to do the best I can.”
A version of this story first appeared in Monday’s New York Playbook PM. Subscribe here.
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