Trump endorses Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for NY governor

President Donald Trump on Saturday endorsed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in his bid for governor, a day after another one of his allies, Rep. Elise Stefanik, suspended her campaign. 

Trump made his endorsement in a post on Truth Social, repeating a past refrain that Blakeman is "MAGA all the way." He added that Blakeman will "continue to fight hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes, and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American DOMINANCE, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, Advance Election Integrity, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment." 

Blakeman offered his thanks to Trump, saying in a statement he is "grateful" to get Trump's endorsement. 

"Securing our borders had made America safer. President Trump loves New York and we will be partners in making New York safe and affordable," Blakeman said in his statement. 

Blakeman has been a staunch ally of Trump over the past few years, hosting a rally in Nassau County ahead of the 2024 presidential election and appearing alongside Trump at key events leading up to Trump's victory. 

Trump had stayed mum over who he would endorse in the race for governor, given his relationship with his two allies.  Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) had been in talks early this year to serve as Trump's U.N. ambassador, but the offer was ultimately withdrawn. Stefanik announced her run last month, several days before Blakeman announced he was mulling a run. 

On Friday, Stefanik abruptly announced she would suspend her campaign, writing in a statement to supporters that while she would have beaten Blakeman, running was not "an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York."
 

Before Stefanik dropped out, polling had shown she was behind Gov. Kathy Hochul, the Democrat running for reelection. A Siena Research Institute poll showed Stefanik was behind Hochul, 49% to 30%. Hochul had a bigger edge over Blakeman, showing her leading the county executive 50% to 25%. 

“Donald Trump endorsed Bruce Blakeman for one reason: he’ll put Trump first, New York last, and leave families to foot the bill,” said Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for Hochul’s reelection campaign.