By Hank Russell
Although neither one has shared their political ambitions for next year, Bruce Blakeman and Michael Lawler are considered to be the top two Republican challengers in the chase for governor. For the county executive, the initial prognosis looks grim.
If the Republican primary were held today, Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, would only receive 13% of the vote, compared to 25% for Lawler, the congressman from upstate New York, according to a recent poll from the Siena College Research Institute. The poll also found that 3% said they would want someone else in the party, while 60% said they did not know or refused to answer.
While it is still too early to tell, the one disadvantage facing Blakeman now is a lack of recognition. According to SCRI, 74% said they either don’t know or have no opinion about him. Meanwhile, 63% of those polled either don’t know Lawler (R-Pearl River) — despite being a federal elected official — or have no opinion of him.
“Not surprisingly, the big winner in a potential 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary is ‘don’t know,’ 60%, given two potential candidates who are largely unknown to New York Republicans,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said.
It has been reported that Blakeman and Lawler have differing political styles. While Blakeman is a Trump loyalist, Lawler takes a more moderate approach. Last year, Blakeman hosted Donald Trump at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale when Trump was running for president.
As county executive, Blakeman has introduced some very unique initiatives such as hiring retired law enforcement officers to assist Child Protective Services caseworkers, deputizing armed citizens, banning transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sporting events held on county property and disallowing anyone from wearing a mask out in public.
Blakeman told Politico that he isn’t thinking about running for the governorship right now. Instead, his focus is on being re-elected county executive; he is being challenged by Legislator Seth Koslow (D-Merrick). He also told the news site that any Republican and/or Conservative gubernatorial candidates should “embrace” Trump during their campaigns.
“Whoever runs for governor on the Republican and conservative lines, my advice to them would be to run to President Trump, and not away from him,” Blakeman said. “Certainly our base, he has our full support, and independent voters are swinging his way, and common sense Democrats are swinging his way. My thought process is whoever runs for governor on the Republican and conservative lines in New York State would be wise to embrace President Trump.”