On Tuesday, incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) faced her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, in the only debate of the New York governor’s race. Spectrum News hosted the event for what many consider a toss-up race.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman are nearly neck-and-neck as they head into the gubernatorial election’s only debate Tuesday, a stunning new poll found.
Democrat Hochul leads the Republican Nassau executive 47% to 44%, a Pollfinity survey released Tuesday found.
The poll found about 6% of voters were undecided, while another 3% planned to cast their ballots for others.
It went as expected. Blakeman came with facts and policies; Hochul blamed President Donald Trump for the problems New York faces and her refusal to keep New Yorkers safe. In fact, safety took up a huge portion of the debate, and Blakeman came loaded for bear.
One knew things were not going well for Hochul when she literally glitched in the midst of her opening statement.
WATCH:
You just watched the Worst Governor in America @KathyHochul’s brain short circuit on live TV https://t.co/IQeJvpJSXz
— Stefan Mychajliw (@StefanMychajliw) October 13, 2026
Blakeman was a bit more eloquent in his delivery, and reminded New Yorkers that Trump was not the reason for the state’s decline: Kathy Hochul’s terrible leadership is.
WATCH:
Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman said New York state currently has a poor economic outlook – and he said it’s the fault of Gov. Kathy Hochul, not President Donald Trump. “We’re dead last because people aren’t investing in New York because they don’t have confidence in the policies of Kathy Hochul,” he said.
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) October 13, 2026
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Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman said New York state currently has a poor economic outlook – and he said it’s the fault of Gov. Kathy Hochul, not President Donald Trump.
“We’re dead last because people aren’t investing in New York because they don’t have confidence in the policies of Kathy Hochul,” he said.
Blakeman was most on target when he called Hochul out on her sanctuary policies, which have resulted in a series of murders in the Big Apple allegedly perpetrated by illegal aliens. The most recent was on Thursday in the Bronx, where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and wounded 28-year-old Oscar Belgal, a Dominican illegal alien who had a conviction for grand larceny stemming from an armed robbery and a pending drug case involving fentanyl and other substances.
As my RedState colleague Rusty reported, federal authorities had also linked Belgal to the Trinitarios gang and his possible involvement in the shooting of an off-duty Border Patrol agent.
Belgal also wins a Father of the Year award for having his five-year-old in the back seat of this vehicle as he allegedly accelerated toward the ICE agents. They shot into the car, unaware that the child was in it.
Hochul accused Blakeman of lying about his record of supporting law enforcement, cooperation with ICE, and keeping Nassau County safe. Blakeman was having none of it, and countered:
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BLAKEMAN: Maybe you haven’t heard: U.S. News and World Report says I have the safest county in America.
So, I back law enforcement and I back the laws of both our federal government and our state government. And I give our law enforcement professionals the tools they need to keep us safe.
You say you spent 4 billion dollars on law enforcement? Well, you spent 8 billion dollars on illegal migrants and gave them more benefits than New Yorkers get: how does that make any sense?
WATCH:
.@NassauExec Bruce Blakeman: “I back law enforcement…[Kathy Hochul] spent $8 BILLION on illegal migrants and gave them more benefits than New Yorkers.” https://t.co/nhmcMnLtrk
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 13, 2026
Hochul’s record of coddling the migrants and refusing to be held accountable has become legend. She claims compassion and devastation, but to some critics, her face looks like she just had a fresh Botox session. Blakeman once again confronted her over the death and destruction that is directly correlated to Hochul’s refusal to work with ICE to remove criminal illegal aliens from New York.
HOCHUL: I was devastated.
BLAKEMAN: How about the two 30-year-old women who were murdered by an illegal migrant in my county? What do you say to their families? What do you say to all those people who have had their children hooked on drugs by illegal migrants bringing fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin into our communities? We have an epidemic of crime from these illegal migrants. Sixteen-thousand detainers are out there for people who committed 52,000 crimes in our state, and you won’t let local law enforcement cooperate with ICE to pick them up and get out of this state.
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WATCH:
.@NassauExec RIPS Kathy Hochul for defending criminals: “How about the two 30-year-old women who were murdered by an illegal migrant in my county…we have an epidemic of crime from these illegal migrants…and you won’t let local law enforcement cooperate with ICE.” https://t.co/C7iFlIBlDU
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 13, 2026
But here is where Blakeman left Hochul in the dust. When Blakeman confronted her on her lack of compassion for the victims of illegal alien crime, and whether she would apologize to these parents who lost their children because of it, Hochul did everything but dance the two-step to get around having to admit culpability or say she would apologize.
Hochul offered up this tortured and strained response.
You know, any crime is heartbreaking. There’s a family left with a huge hole in their heart. And I abhor all crimes, regardless of the perpetrator, victims deserve our sympathy, they deserve our compassion. And that’s why I’m laser focused on making New York so much safer than it has been before.
WATCH:
INSANE! Kathy Hochul can’t even apologize to victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens – or promise to return their calls. @NassauExec: “Will you please return Sheridan Gorman’s parents’ calls to talk to you?” HOCHUL: “Any crime is heartbreaking.” https://t.co/Ikv8dZfVND
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 13, 2026
BLAKEMAN: So, Gov. Hochul. Under your sanctuary policies, a 14-year old was raped recently here in New York state by an illegal migrant.
Four Irondequot residents were killed recently by an illegal migrant. Two of those victims were children under the age of five.
Two Nassau County women in their 30s were killed by an illegal migrant because of your sanctuary policies.
Will you apologize to that 14-year-old girl, whose life is forever changed and her family, and the families of those who were killed? The ones that’ll never get to sit another Thanksgiving dinner, never be able to open their presents under the Christmas tree? Will you apologize to them, and will you please return Sheridan Gorman’s parents’ calls to talk to you about your sanctuary policy?
HOCHUL: You know, any crime is heartbreaking. There’s a family left with a huge hole in their heart. And I abhor all crimes, regardless of the perpetrator, victims deserve our sympathy, they deserve our compassion. And that’s why I’m laser focused on making New York so much safer than it has been before.
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One New York City Councilman summed it up well: it’s time to put politics aside and save New York.
Bruce Blakeman showed tonight that he means business, wiping the floor with the worst governor New York has ever had, Kathy Hochul, and proving he’s ready to lead on day one with common sense, lower taxes, and a government that works for you, not against you. We cannot afford four more years of destruction under Hochul, and as a Democrat, I urge my fellow Democrats and independents to put party politics aside and vote for Bruce Blakeman this November to save our state.
— Robert Holden (@BobHoldenNYC) October 14, 2026
Bruce Blakeman showed tonight that he means business, wiping the floor with the worst governor New York has ever had, Kathy Hochul, and proving he’s ready to lead on day one with common sense, lower taxes, and a government that works for you, not against you.
We cannot afford four more years of destruction under Hochul, and as a Democrat, I urge my fellow Democrats and independents to put party politics aside and vote for Bruce Blakeman this November to save our state.
Early voting in New York starts October 24.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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