Blakeman, Hochul politics in the age of MAGA, Mamdani

Daily Point

Nassau executive wasn’t sprung from the MAGA mold

One of the least-kept secrets in Nassau County is that if he wins next Tuesday, Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman would seriously consider running for governor next year, presumably against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, whom he’s been condemning for much of the time he’s been in office.

Blakeman, 70, has run for state office before. In 1998 he was Gov. George Pataki’s GOP running mate for comptroller against Democrat Carl McCall who trounced him 65%-32%. But that didn’t mean Blakeman was willing to perpetually commit himself to the cause of having a Republican in the Governor’s Mansion.

On Oct. 10, 2006, Blakeman’s then-consulting firm Madison Strategies was recorded as having contributed $400 to the campaign of Republican stalwart John Faso, who was vying to succeed Pataki. But on Aug. 4 of that year, the firm had already sent $2,500 to the campaign of Faso’s Democratic foe Eliot Spitzer. (Businesses owned by relatives of Blakeman’s then-wife also backed Spitzer with thousands more in contributions.)

Nowadays President Donald Trump, who controls his party nationally, commands Blakeman’s full partisan loyalty. Blakeman has said that the president will have a direct role in who the state GOP nominates for governor next year, and has publicly courted favor with the president every step of the way, hosting the big Uniondale presidential rally a year ago and pushing MAGA-driven culture war legislation such as banning transgender athletes from female sports teams at county-run facilities.

As Blakeman’s career shows, party considerations and personal alliances change with time and circumstance.

On July 23, 2014, during his failed run for Congress against Democrat Kathleen Rice, a fundraiser was held for Blakeman at the posh Capitol Hill Club in Washington. The top name on the invitation was that of former Bush administration United Nations Ambassador John R. Bolton.

Ten days ago, Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser during the president’s first term, was indicted by the Trump-controlled Justice Department, accused of sharing sensitive government information with two relatives and for retaining “documents, writings, and notes” containing classified material. The president called Bolton “a lowlife” and “not a smart guy.”

Nobody can say if Trump will anoint Blakeman to take on Hochul. Rep. Elise Stefanik also has strong political ties to the president, but an irascible personal style that has already alienated some important state Republicans. There is also a hypothetical possibility that Rep. Mike Lawler, who says he’s running for reelection, could be convinced to abandon a House race and return to the field of potential Hochul challengers.

The discussion is relevant, even this early, because as an incumbent, Hochul has clear vulnerabilities, not the least of which is the chasm between party centrists and the ascending urban left flank symbolized by Assemb. Zohran Mamdani’s rise. That became evident Sunday night when the governor was heckled by rallygoers interrupting her speech largely critical of Washington with chants of “Tax the rich!”

Awkwardly she said, “Boy this crowd is really fired up!” and “All right … I can hear you. I can hear you.” Mamdani came out, grabbed her hand and raised it, and walked her out.

As if to remind everyone who Mamdani aligns with, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were co-stars at the event. Mamdani took shots at Trump and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, whom he defeated in the June primary and who’s taking a last stab at the mayoralty on an independent line.

Shifts in the alignments between and within parties are in play this week, and where they stop — this year or next — nobody knows.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Pencil Point

East Wing

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Quick Points

Cuckoo sighting, false monkey reports and bots

• A common cuckoo sighting caused a stir in Riverhead, and social media accounts are chirping with pics of the bird, native to Europe and Asia, that has apparently only been seen in the continental United States a handful of times. The bird’s timing is as bad as its sense of direction – an April Fools’ Day appearance would have been funnier.
• Another animal sighting is fake, though. Monkeys roaming New Jersey neighborhoods is the latest social media hoax using AI-generated pictures. Police said, “Officers have not located any monkeys.” It’s bad optics when you officially rule out finding any monkeys.
• Bethpage Black golfers are battling bots for tee times. Now, golfers are finding ways to cheat before the first swing.
• Will trade talks tank between the United States and Canada if Toronto wins the World Series?
• Speaking of tariffs, President Donald Trump called an ad by Canada using former President Ronald Reagan’s anti-tariff stance “FAKE.” Did MAGA just cancel The Gipper?
• A Long Island man is competing on the Hallmark Channel’s reality show “Finding Mr. Christmas.” Fingers crossed he doesn’t turn out to be Lloyd Christmas from “Dumb and Dumber.”
• Former Long Island Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, the nominee for the federal Labor Department’s inspector general, wouldn’t say if he would run for his old congressional seat next year. Shocking that a politician, under oath, refused to say if he would run for office.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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