By Hank Russell
Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman announced Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood as his choice for lieutenant governor. Blakeman — who is running against Democrat incumbent governor Kathy Hochul — said he is forming a proven law-and-order partnership focused on restoring public safety, lowering taxes, and making New York affordable for hardworking men and women.
Hood brings more than 30 years of law enforcement and public safety leadership experience at the local, state, and national levels. Since 2018, he has served as the elected sheriff of Madison County, overseeing countywide law enforcement operations, criminal investigations, corrections, emergency management, and civil services — with direct responsibility for budgets, personnel, and public safety policy.
“Sheriff Todd Hood has spent his career protecting communities, managing complex public safety operations, and standing up for law-abiding New Yorkers,” Blakeman said. “He understands what Kathy Hochul refuses to admit: reckless bail laws and anti-police policies put repeat offenders back on the street, drive businesses out of New York, and make families less safe. Todd Hood and I believe in accountability, results, and putting taxpayers first.”
In addition to his county leadership, Hood plays a major role in shaping public safety policy statewide and nationally. He currently serves as vice president of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, representing county sheriffs in legislative and policy discussions in Albany, and is a member of the New York State Association of Counties Public Safety Committee.
At the national level, Hood serves as chairman of the National Sheriffs’ Association School Safety Committee, where he provides leadership on school safety policy, threat assessment, and violence prevention strategies.
Before becoming sheriff, Hood built a distinguished career with the Syracuse Police Department, where he served as a detective assigned to gang and organized crime investigations, a SWAT supervisor and team leader for more than two decades, a firearms instructor, and a Deputy U.S. Marshal with the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. He later served as an investigator with the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, working major felony and violent crime cases.
“I’m honored to join Bruce Blakeman in this fight to make New York safe and affordable again,” Hood said. “As sheriff, I see the real-world consequences of Albany’s failed policies every day — rising crime, higher costs, and repeat offenders released back into our communities. Together, Bruce and I will restore law and order, support law enforcement, protect victims, and respect taxpayers.”
Hochul campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika called Hood “another ICE enabler.” She called the Blakeman-Hood pairing “the most pro-ICE ticket in America at a time when the agency’s popularity has sunk to historic lows, including in the suburbs.”
She also mocked Blakeman for being turned down by multiple prospects. Richard Giardino, a sheriff with Fulton County, initially accepted Blakeman’s offer, but before the state GOP convention kicked off and news outlets reported on Giardino joining the ticket, the sheriff backed out, according to The New York Post.
“I was offered the nomination of lieutenant governor. I expected to accept it,” Giardino was quoted by The Post. “I realized I would be campaigning 24/7. I can’t be 24/7 campaigning across the state and effectively do my job as sheriff.”
“In just a few hours – less time than it took for the [New England] Patriots’ offense to collapse [during the Super Bowl] – Blakeman’s already-wobbly ticket fell apart,” Chitika said. “An icy reception for ICE’s biggest fan.”
Without addressing the issue, Blakeman said the ticket stands apart because both candidates bring executive experience and a record of results, not political rhetoric.
“As county executive, I cut taxes, controlled spending, and backed the police to make Nassau the safest county in America,” Blakeman said. “Sheriff Hood has spent his career leading from the front — managing budgets, protecting communities, and coordinating with law enforcement at every level of government. That’s exactly the leadership New York needs right now.”
“Safer streets, lower costs, and a government that works for taxpayers — that’s the Blakeman–Hood promise,” Blakeman said. “Together, we’ll make New York safe, affordable, and accountable again.”