The New York State Democratic Committee issued a list of elected officials in Suffolk and Nassau Counties who have endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul for re-election. Wednesday’s announcement coincided with State Democrats’ launch, in Mineola, of a statewide effort to tie Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Governor Hochul’s Republican opponent, to President Trump.
Ms. Hochul, formerly the lieutenant governor, succeeded Andrew Cuomo following his August 2021 resignation in the wake of a report by the state attorney general finding that he had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, including staff members. She narrowly defeated former Representative Lee Zeldin in the 2022 election, and will face Mr. Blakeman on Nov. 3.
On the list of endorsers from Long Island are East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and her four colleagues on the town board, Councilwoman Cate Rogers and Councilmen David Lys, Tom Flight, and Ian Calder-Piedmonte. Southampton Town Councilman Michael Iasilli also endorses the governor’s re-election campaign, as does Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker, a former Southampton Town trustee. In all, 41 supervisors, councilmembers, legislators, mayors, and clerks from Suffolk and Nassau announced their endorsement.
“In East Hampton we work hard to protect what makes this community special, our water, our shoreline, and the quality of life families count on,” Ms. Burke-Gonzalez told The Star. “Governor Hochul has been a true partner in that work, supporting clean water and infrastructure investments and helping us safeguard our coastline. She also shares a core belief I hold deeply: A community only works when the people who keep it running can afford to live here. Governor Hochul is helping us move forward affordable and work-force housing so teachers, first responders, health care workers, town employees, and young families can continue to live where they work.”
“From Nassau to the North Fork, I’m grateful to have the backing of Long Island’s local leaders who fight tirelessly on the issues closest to home for New Yorkers,” the governor said in a statement announcing the endorsements. “I got my start on my town board and know just how important local government is for delivering on our affordability and public safety agenda.”
A Siena University poll of 804 registered voters taken between March 23 and March 26 had the governor leading Mr. Blakeman by 13 percentage points, 47 percent to 34 percent. But Mr. Blakeman had narrowed a wider gap of 20 points in a Siena poll conducted one month earlier. Statewide, Mr. Blakeman is still hampered by a lack of name recognition.
Democrats will seek to define him to voters with a statewide tour called “The Cost of Bruce Blakeman,” which launched Wednesday in Mineola with State Democratic Party Chairman Jay S. Jacobs, former New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, and representatives of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
