Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, at podium, speaks during a news conference in Mineola, N.Y., March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo, File)2025-12-09T13:49:58Z Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a firebrand Long Island Republican, announced a run for governor of New York on Tuesday, setting up a primary clash with fellow Trump ally U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.Blakeman, labeled 100% MAGA by President Donald Trump, criticized Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochu said in a social media post and said New Yorkers deserve leadership that works.In an appearance Tuesday on the Fox News Fox and Friends show, Blakeman said Hochul is a failure who needs to be replaced. Im running for office to make people more prosperous, to make them safer and to make New Yorkers happy again.Blakemans candidacy kicks off what is expected to be a heated Republican contest against Stefanik, a conservative from northern New York who Trump nominated for U.N. ambassador, only to withdraw it over concerns that the slim GOP majority couldnt afford to lose any more House seats. Trump has so far avoided taking sides, telling reporters this week Hes great, and shes great. Theyre both great people. Democrats enjoy a strong voter registration advantage in New York, but next years race for governor is expected to be one of the nations most watched contests. Hochul, a moderate Democrat, is facing a primary challenge from her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado. Blakeman, from his post as the leader of a suburban county just east of New York City, has cast himself as a bulwark against liberal, urban leadership in a part of Long Island that leans conservative and embraced Trump in recent elections. He has pushed through a policy that bans transgender athletes from using county sports facilities, created a volunteer law enforcement unit that his critics have labeled as a militia and directed county detectives to work alongside federal authorities in Trumps immigration crackdown. Nassaus first Jewish county executive, he also signed a local ban on wearing face masks in public except for health or religious reasons, a measure that critics complain is aimed at cracking down on pro-Palestine demonstrations. Blakeman cruised to victory in his election to a second term in November. And previously, he served in the Hempstead Town Council and held an appointed post as the commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. But bigger elective offices have eluded him. Hochuls campaign issued a statement saying Blakeman has lost just about every race hes touched county legislator, comptroller, Congress, even U.S. Senate. Theres a reason: just like Donald Trump, he takes money out of New Yorkers pockets and squeezes working families at every turn. Both Blakeman and Stefanik now frame themselves as candidates who could appeal to moderate Democrats as well as Republicans, even though both have adopted the brash political rhetoric of Trump, who remains unpopular in New York.Former Gov. George Pataki was the states last Republican governor, leaving office about two decades ago. PHILIP MARCELO Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration. twitter mailto