ALBANY, NY- As the state of New York continues to slide into the abyss under the “leadership” of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, help may be around the corner in the name of Bruce Blakeman, a Republican gubernatorial nominee who is running against Hochul in November’s election.
In an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo”on Fox News this week, Blakeman slammed Hochul’s policies on spending, taxes, public safety, and her open borders, sanctuary state immigration policies.
“On day one as governor, I will sign an executive order that we are no longer a sanctuary state,” Blakeman, county executive for Nassau County, told Bartiromo.
“Not only does it make it easier for criminals to operate in our state...but Kathy Hochul has spent over eight billion dollars of our taxpayer money on people who all they have to do is arrive...They’re not New Yorkers; they’re not Americans.”
Blakeman addressed the taxpayer-funded benefits given to illegals, including free housing, food, transportation, cell phones, and other benefits provided to illegal aliens. Instead, he argued, that money should go to tax cuts, funding schools, hospitals, and infrastructure and to New Yorkers in general.
“Their benefits are about $81,000 a person, and New Yorkers are paying for this,” Blakeman said.
After President Trump’s election in 2024, Hochul doubled down on the state’s anti-ICE policies. In her January 2026 “State of the State” address, Hochul promised to prevent the use of state resources for federal immigration raids while protecting so-called “sensitive locations.”
In May, she signed legislation banning 287(g) agreements between state and local police, local governments and corrections and federal immigration authorities. Any existing agreements, including Nassau County’s under Blakeman, were to be “unwound” by the end of this month. The state bureaucracy was increased due to the creation of the Office of Immigrant Trust within the Attorney General’s office, tasked to enforce this.
The legislation also places restrictions on using local jails/detention spaces or resources for civil immigration purposes, protections for ‘sensitive locations” such as schools, churches, hospitals, etc., without a judicial warrant, and a ban on all law enforcement, including federal agents operating in the state from wearing masks while on duty (a federal court has blocked that provision for federal agents), along with other restrictions.
Current polling shows Blakeman in a tight race with Hochul, only four percentage points behind. Bartiromo asked Blakeman if he could pull off an upset victory.
“Yeah, we’re gonna win because people are miserable under Kathy Hochul. This state is in a death spiral. We are number 50 out of 50 states in economic outlook. There is no economic activity. There’s no job creation. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have left our state. We are the most overtaxed state in America; our electric bills are 70% higher than the national average,” Blakeman argued.
“And Kathy Hochul is the most pro-criminal governor in the United States of America, making it less safe for our communities. We are poised to win this election, and I fully expect on January 1 to be sworn in as the next governor of New York State.”
Blakeman highlighted his successes in Nassau County, a suburb of New York City located on Long Island, saying his approach would make the Empire State more affordable and competitive, with no property/sales tax increases, safer streets, and hiring more, not less police officers.
New York’s gubernatorial election takes place on November 3, 2026.
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