Blakeman says Democrats will try to 'steal' gubernatorial race

Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman said Wednesday he believes incumbent Kathy Hochul and the Democrats will try to steal the election, and he hedged on whether he’d accept the results.

“Do I think they’re gonna try and cheat? Yeah, but we’ll stop them,” said Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, speaking at a news conference at Penn Station where he said he'd invest in "ballot security" and deploy "thousands of volunteers."

“I’ll tell you right now, Kathy Hochul," Blakeman said, "if you try to cheat, people are gonna go to jail.”

Blakeman made similar remarks earlier in an appearance on Fox Business. His sentiments echo those of President Donald Trump, a key ally, who has claimed for months without evidence that Democrats cheated in the 2020 presidential election and will try to cheat in the November elections.

At Wednesday's news conference, Blakeman was asked by a reporter whether he’d accept the results of the gubernatorial election regardless of who wins. “If the results of the election are fair, and they reflect what actually people voted for, yes,” he said.

Responding to Blakeman's remarks, Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said in a text message: “When Bruce Blakeman says he’s running for governor to bring ‘Trump-style leadership to Albany,’ this is what he means — first campaigning with January 6th architects, now embracing Trump’s election denial lies. New Yorkers see this for what it is: putting MAGA first no matter the cost.”

Blakeman has consistently trailed Hochul in fundraising. Hochul has $21 million in campaign funds, while Blakeman has $4.6 million, according to the most recent campaign filings.

Blakeman said Democrats have already tried to cheat, recalling how the Democratic majority on the state Public Campaign Finance Board voted to deny him millions of dollars in matching funds over a paperwork mistake. A state court ultimately reversed the board’s decision.

Separately, Blakeman said he’s exploring a legal challenge to a new state law prohibiting agreements, known as 287(g) agreements, between localities and the federal government to deputize local authorities to enforce immigration law. There are two such agreements in Nassau, one with the police department and another with the sheriff's department. 

Blakeman said that if he loses a challenge, he’d follow the law. “I took an oath of office to follow the law, even if I don’t agree with it,” Blakeman said. “So yes, I will follow the law.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.