Thursday, October 1, 2026
Not long after upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik announced she suspended her campaign on Dec. 19 for New York governor and will not seek re-election to Congress, the path to the Republican nomination for New York’s top elected post became easier to navigate for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
“I want to thank Congresswoman Elise Stefanik for her outstanding service to the people of New York and to all Americans,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter). “At this pivotal moment for New York, it is essential that Republicans and al New Yorkers come together in unity.”
Blakeman, 70, who regained another four-year term in November, wasn’t making headway in just about every poll, showing him trailing Stefanik, 41, by huge margins. The Atlantic Beach resident, who grew up in Valley Stream, was endorsed by President Donald Trump over the weekend and appears to picking up steam. And now there will not be a Republican primary for the post.
“Bruce is MAGA all the way, and has been with me from the very beginning,” Trump posted on his X account. “As Nassau County Executive, he is working tirelessly with the Brave Heroes of ICE, Border Patrol, and Law Enforcement to Keep Our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Safeguard our Community, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER.”
Blakeman, who officially announced he was running for governor on Dec. 12, initially received pushback from the state Republican and Nassau GOP committees. But now seems to have their support.
“Bruce Blakeman has my endorsement and I urge our State Committee and party leaders to join me,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “Bruce is a fighter who has proven he knows how to win in difficult political terrain. As County Executive, he cut taxes, fought against radical leftwing social policies and made Nassau County the safest county in America.”
Stefanik made her announcement in a statement citing family considerations and strategic concerns about a prolonged Republican primary.
“While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress,” Stefanik said, adding that the decision was made with careful consideration for her family. She emphasized her role as a mother, saying she wanted to focus on her young son’s “safety, growth, and happiness.”
Stefanik thanked voters in New York’s 21st Congressional District for entrusting her to represent them and expressed gratitude to her staff, highlighting what she described as significant results delivered over her 11 years in office.
Incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, 67, said she is ready to run against Blakeman.”
“The fact is, ‘100% MAGA’ Bruce Blakeman traveled all the way to D.C. to celebrate Trump’s expensive tariffs, he ran Long Island’s safety net hospital into the ground by appointing corrupt cronies to run it, and let violent crime in Nassau County spike to its highest level in a decade,” she said in a news release. “Governor Hochul’s message to him or whichever lackey Trump picks to run against her is simple: Bring it on.”
Blakeman, whose father Robert served as an assemblyman and brother, Brad, was on the staff of President George W. Bush, has served as a Town of Hempstead councilman twice, in the County Legislature, including being the first presiding officer, and as a Port Authority commissioner. If elected he would be the first Long Islander to be governor.
