Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the presumptive Republican nominee for New York governor, blamed Gov. Hochul’s policies for driving many New Yorkers out of the Empire State, saying she failed to resolve a mounting affordability and crime crisis. During a wide-ranging interview with The Post’s Rich Calder, Blakeman, 70, accused Hochul of “embracing” NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist agenda and agreed with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) that the 2026 gubernatorial election will be an “existential battle” to save New York from socialism. As governor, Blakeman vowed to do whatever it takes to “stop” Mamdani if he feels the mayor’s policies are destroying the economy or “undermining” law enforcement.
Q: Following Gov. Hochul’s State of the State address earlier this month, you said she’s ignoring New York’s affordability and crime crisis. What would you do to fix this and how?
A: I would cut taxes. I would invest in economic development. I would cut silly regulations that keep businesses from coming to New York. I would do things necessary to promote business here in the state and create prosperity, so people have more money . . . higher wages and better benefits. That’s the way to make it more affordable, so they can make choices about how they want to spend their money. And with respect to crime, I have a record of making investments in law enforcement, hiring police officers, corrections officers, and, basically, I would end the sanctuary state policy of Kathy Hochul, which makes us less safe, and it diverts billions and billions of dollars of middle-class taxpayer money to people who haven’t earned it, who’ve been here for 15 minutes. They’re undocumented, and they are here illegally. … We should put New Yorkers first and try to make our residents happier. And I think we can do that by making it more affordable, safer, and having a governor who actually cares and does what he promises to do, unlike Kathy Hochul, who every year promises to do something, and does virtually nothing.
Q: What about repealing cashless bail and congestion pricing?
A: One of the first things I’ll do as governor is work with the [state] Legislature to repeal cashless bail. Cashless bail is a failure. You have people committing crime after crime after crime, and they [avoid jail] without consequences … [Also, the] Raise the Age [Law] has been a disaster. We need to . . . modify it. And when it comes to congestion pricing, I will end congestion pricing, which is no more than a tax on the middle class.
Q: Do you feel Hochul was out of line claiming the Trump administration violated the law by sending troops into Venezuela to capture dictator Nicolás Maduro?
A: I believe anybody who tries to keep our kids from being poisoned by drugs is somebody [who] should be complimented rather than criticized. Kathy Hochul is pro-criminal. Everything she talks about – cashless bail, Raise the Age, sanctuary state — is pro-criminal. And for her to defend a drug lord-class dictator like Maduro is unconscionable, and it just shows how out of touch she is with reality.
Q: What do you think of the governor’s support for legislation allowing New Yorkers to sue ICE officers if they feel their constitutional rights are violated following the shooting death of Renee Good in Minneapolis?
A: The elected officials around the country, and particularly Kathy Hochul and [NYC Mayor] Zohran Mamdani, are undermining law enforcement efforts of our federal agents who are sworn to uphold the law. Rather than be spit at, and rather than be sued, and rather than have throw rocks at them, we should be embracing their mission.
Q: Were you surprised last month when Rep. Stefanik dropped out of the governor’s race, and have you spoken to her since?
A: Elise Stefanik said she wants to spend more time with her family, and that’s completely understandable with a young daughter. I think we have to take her at her word that this was her paramount reason for taking a pause in her political career.
Q: Do you expect her to support your campaign in any way?
A: Elise Stefanik is a stalwart Republican, and I’m sure she would rather see me as governor than Kathy Hochul.
Q: Were you surprised President Trump has embraced the idea of working with Mayor Mamdani?
A: I think President Trump has a record of communicating with everyone, whether it be the dictator in North Korea, whether it be other people he disagrees with around the world, and even here, domestically, and that is something he feels is important to keep lines of communication open, and I don’t criticize him for that. I think that is his style, and so far, it’s worked for well for him.
Q: When Mamdani won the mayor’s race, Stefanik told me she felt the governor’s race would be an existential battle to save New York’s soul from socialism? Is that something you agree with?
A: I agree 100% with her evaluation. We have a mayor who talks about collectivism, which is a code word for communism. He criticizes individualism, which basically means individual freedom, individual achievement, are things that he does not believe in. And Kathy Hochul has embraced Zohran Mamdani’s agenda. She mentioned him glowingly three times at her State of the State speech and didn’t talk about her record once because she’s got a record of making people in New York miserable. . . . She’s embraced somebody who has values that are un-American, and I think it’s very telling that they are now political allies.
Q: How would you deal with Mayor Mamdani if you become governor?
A: I have said very clearly that if he tries to destroy the economy of New York City, I will stop him, and if he tries to undermine law enforcement in New York City, I will take measures to make sure that people are safe in New York City and secure.
Q: What kind of support do you expect from President Trump and national Republicans in your race? Do you think they feel it’s winnable and a good investment of their time?
A: I am confident that I will get the support of moderate Democrats, independent men and women, and Republicans and conservatives because I have a common sense approach to government. I have a track record of making communities safer and more prosperous. And Kathy Hochul is the opposite. She has made us less safe and made New York less affordable with policies that are failures.
Q: But do you expect help from the national Republicans and the president?
A: I wouldn’t limit it to that. I would limit it to Democrats who have openly said they will support my candidacy emotionally and financially. So moderate Democrats will be an important part of my campaign, as well as independent voters. And, of course, the foundation of my campaign will be with the Republicans and the conservatives who nominated me because they agree with the positions that I’ve taken as county executive and know I will apply them to state government.
Q: When was the last time you spoke with the president? And is there anything you could share about it?
A: I don’t share confidential discussions with the president, but I did speak with him last Monday, and he wished me good luck.
Q: Do you think the National Guard should be deployed in New York City?
A: I believe the NYPD is ably equipped to handle any law enforcement issue in New York City if the mayor doesn’t interfere with their responsibilities. So I have a whole plan for what I would do incrementally, if, in fact, Mamdani was not enforcing the law or making it unsafe for police officers. I will not tolerate lawlessness, and I will not tolerate an unsafe environment for our law enforcement officers.
Q: Anything you could share on that plan?
A: I want to do it incrementally, so let’s just say that I am very well-versed in the powers that I could implement should Mamdani … make the city lawless, or if he was not protecting our police officers and other law enforcement officials.
Q: Does New York City or other parts of the Empire State need more ICE raids, or should the agency cut back?
A: I think ICE should be allowed to operate in any community where there are illegal migrants with criminal records preying on law-abiding citizens. So, I have no plans to curtail ICE’s mission of removing dangerous criminals who are here illegally from our communities.
Q: Where do you stand on the Long Island Railroad union contract negotiations, and are you worried about a strike?
A: Well, right now there is a pause [until mid-May], so we’ll see how negotiations go. My feeling with respect to collective bargaining is that it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be: negotiations and bargaining. And basically, I think we need to have workers who are competent, qualified, and happy in their employment. And the one thing about Kathy Hochul is, most [state] workers … are miserable under her leadership because she is not a good leader. She doesn’t care about her employees, and it’s demonstrated by the fact that she’s had so much labor unrest.
Q: Long Island didn’t win one of the three downstate casino bids recently awarded. Did that bother you as Nassau County executive, and do you have any desire, if governor, to open more downstate – including in Nassau or Suffolk counties?
A: I don’t want to talk about that issue right now as there may be litigation.
Q: What are your favorite sports teams?
A: Well, obviously, I’m from Nassau County, so I’m an Islanders fan. I am a Knicks fan, although I will say that when the Nets were here in the ABA on Long Island, I was the Nets fan back then, but since they moved to New Jersey and now to Brooklyn, I’ve been a Knicks fan for a long, long time. With respect to baseball, I’m a Yankees fan. In football, I’m more of a college football guy, but if I had a preference, it would probably be the Buffalo Bills, and the Giants and the Jets, secondary.
Q: Are there any other major issues facing New Yorkers you plan to address if elected?
A: We are the most overtaxed state in the United States, and that’s why businesses are leaving. That’s why people are leaving. And that goes to the affordability issue. How can the governor say she wants to make this state more affordable when she wants to increase taxes, she instituted congestion pricing, and she has indicated that she would continue to raise taxes? . . . We are the most overregulated state in the United States. That hurts business development and job creation and prosperity. And we have high insurance prices, some of the highest in the United States. Our energy costs are some of the highest in the United States. She’s been in charge for [more than] four years. What has she done about affordability? The answer is nothing.
