Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman trails Hochul by 14 points in New York governor race
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The gist
Quinnipiac poll shows Republican Bruce Blakeman trailing Gov. Kathy Hochul 55% to 41% among likely New York voters.
He must close a double-digit gap before Election Day on Nov 3.
Background
Bruce Blakeman is the Nassau County Executive on Long Island and the Republican candidate for governor of New York, challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is seeking a second full term. Blakeman has held elected office since the 1990s, when he served on the Hempstead Town Council and then the Nassau County Legislature, and he was appointed commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey by former Gov. George Pataki. He won the county executive seat in 2021 by a slim margin over incumbent Laura Curran and was reelected in 2025 by over 10 points. Republicans see the governor's race as winnable partly because Hochul defeated former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin by less than seven points in 2022.
How it unfolded
- 1995Blakeman is elected to the Nassau County Legislature after serving on the Hempstead Town Council.
- 1998He runs as the Republican nominee for state comptroller and loses to incumbent Carl McCall by more than 20 points.
- 2009He serves as commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, appointed by former Gov. George Pataki, until 2009.
- 2021Blakeman wins election for Nassau County Executive, beating incumbent Laura Curran by a slim margin even though registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 100,000.
- 2022He takes office as Nassau County executive.
- 2025He is reelected by over 10 points, defeating county legislator Seth Koslow.
- Sep 22, 2026The New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association endorses Blakeman outside the Capitol in Albany — the first time the union has endorsed a gubernatorial candidate.
- Oct 16, 2026The state Democratic Party chair's complaint asking the state elections watchdog to investigate Blakeman's campaign is reported.
- Oct 21, 2026A Quinnipiac poll of 1,167 likely voters, conducted Oct 15-19, shows Hochul at 55% and Blakeman at 41%, a 14-point advantage with a 3.8-point margin of error.
- Oct 22, 2026Blakeman campaigns in Throggs Neck, a conservative enclave of the Bronx.
- Oct 24, 2026Early voting starts.
- Nov 3, 2026Election Day.
Who’s saying what
- Bulls
- Blakeman says Democrats are crossing over to him, that Hochul's $6 million in attack ads shows she is 'in deep trouble,' and that he will win.
- Analysts
- Quinnipiac's Snow says Blakeman has improved his image among independents as he becomes better known, but name recognition remains an obstacle.
- Official
- Hochul told Blakeman at their only scheduled debate that he 'support[s] every single thing that Donald Trump does.'
- Party
- The state Democratic Party chair asked the state's Division of Election Law Enforcement to investigate whether Blakeman's campaign knowingly provided false information in its error-riddled finance reports.
Still unverified
It is not clear whether any of Blakeman's $3.5 million in matching funds came from ineligible contributions, since his campaign also received many contributions that met the eligibility requirements; the Board of Elections says it carefully audits all requests. The Democratic Party chair's complaint alleges the campaign knowingly provided false information in its reports — a claim that has not been substantiated.