Says It’s Part of His Anti-Woman Record
By Hank Russell
A local citizens group blasted Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for sending out campaign mailers and airing commercials that they say are attacks on women, especially those who were victims of rape.
At an October 20 rally organized by Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG) and comprised of local residents, speakers from Planned Parenthood, Moms Demand Action and South Shore Women’s Alliance and local attorneys, they called on Blakeman to run on his record.
As part of his campaign, Blakeman accused his Democrat opponent, Seth Koslow, of protecting rapists. The county executive referred to a 2013 article Koslow wrote for the Touro Law Review in which he said that women “would fabricate a rape” because, among other reasons, they would have “a desire/fantasy to be raped.”
The NRGG said they found the mailers “insensitive,” “graphic” and “triggering rape victims.” They also accused Blakeman of “implementing smokescreen misogyny,” adding, “[H]e’s trying to score political points on the backs of rape victims, and it is despicable.”
Another example of Blakeman’s hostility to women, according to the NRGG, was the closure of The Safe Center LI, a nonprofit organization which assisted victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. The center closed without any other agencies available to take over their casework. Further, said the NRGG, the 2026 budget leaves no money for the center.
“Are Blakeman’s lies about his opponent intended to keep voters’ eyes off his own record of cutting services for rape victims, and victims of domestic violence?” the NRGG asked. “Voters demand transparency and honesty, not performative outrage coupled with a failure to act.”
NRGG said Blakeman has “cut services for women and brought nasty, partisan, misogynistic lies to Nassau,” adding, “Instead of violating voters’ mailboxes nearly every day with his litany of dark and dishonest accusations and distortions about his opponent, it’s time for Blakeman to start explaining what he’s accomplished these last four years.”
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to Blakeman’s campaign. “A paltry group of 10 to 12 Koslow partisan political campaign ‘hacks’ desperately tried to deflect attention away from disgraced County Executive candidate Seth Koslow’s anti-woman positions, which have been memorialized in writing,” the Blakeman campaign said in a statement. “Instead of objecting to mailings which point out Koslow’s disgusting anti-woman agenda, he would be better served taking responsibility for his abysmal anti-woman record and apologizing to the women [whom] he has victimized in word and in deed.”
The campaign noted that, after the NRGG rally, a group of approximately 100 women dressed in red attended a legislative meeting to show support for the county executive and opposition to Koslow’s “toxic and dangerous agenda.”
A campaign spokesperson called Blakeman “a steadfast champion for women — from issuing an Executive Order banning biological men from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, to opening Nassau County’s first Women’s Business Center, giving women new opportunities to launch and grow their careers. His record is one of empowerment and protection.”
“By contrast, Seth Koslow has a disturbing history,” the campaign spokesperson continued. “He has defended violent men who have victimized women. It’s no wonder that women across Nassau County are outraged by his anti-woman rhetoric and actions. … Bruce Blakeman will continue to stand up for women — and Nassau’s women will continue to stand with him.”