President Donald Trump urged New York residents on Saturday to support Bruce Blakeman in Tuesday’s election for governor. Speaking by remote link at a campaign rally for New York Republican candidates, he criticized incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, accusing her of “incompetent management of the state.” Trump’s endorsement may not be enough, however: the latest polls show the incumbent governor of the Empire State with a double-digit lead over her Republican challenger.
Trump appeared at a joint tele-rally for Blakeman, the Republican candidate for state attorney general, Sarithा Komatireddy, and Anthony Constantino, who is running for a seat in Congress.
“Kathy Hochul may be the worst governor in the history of the state of New York and one of the worst in the entire country. She turned out to be a disaster,” the U.S. president said, stressing that Bruce Blakeman “has long been his friend.”
“Anyone who can achieve in politics what he has, and get such outstanding results – and who also runs the county that is the safest county in the United States – is a great manager.”
Despite Hochul’s lead in the polls, Trump said he was convinced Blakeman could win. He also said federal support for New York could increase if the Republican wins.
“I’ll be waiting for his call. I bet it will be one of the first calls if he wins, and he’ll get enormous help from the federal government,” the president said, while also accusing the state’s current leadership of misusing federal budget funds.
Trump’s remarks were addressed by Ryan Radulovack, a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“Blakeman… started out by promising to ‘bring Trump-style leadership to Albany,’ and his closing message shows he has no regrets about adopting a strategy of fully identifying with Trump in this campaign,” he said.
“Gov. Hochul has left more money in New Yorkers’ pockets, invested $4 billion in public safety and stood up to Trump’s attacks, while Blakeman defends everything Trump does,” he added.
New York’s gubernatorial election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3. The latest public opinion polls show Hochul leading Blakeman by 11 to 14 percentage points.
Ed. JŁ
