Blakeman disputes polls, calls Hochul a 'witch' in campaign rally
Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman claimed the gubernatorial race is a 'dead heat' despite recent polls showing Governor Kathy Hochul with a significant lead.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman on Saturday dismissed recent polls showing Gov. Kathy Hochul widening her lead, asserting that the race is a "virtual dead heat."
Speaking to over 100 supporters at a rally in Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village, Queens, Blakeman urged attendees "Don’t believe those phony polls," referencing surveys from Siena and Marist released earlier in the week that indicated Hochul held leads of 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Blakeman drew a parallel to the 1994 gubernatorial election, where he claimed polls were also inaccurate before Republican George Pataki secured a victory. "Don’t believe those phony polls," Blakeman told the crowd, as reported by the New York Post.
Among the attendees were Queens GOP Chairman Tony Nunziato, Councilwoman Joann Ariola, and former Councilman Robert Holden.
Later in the day, Blakeman planned to participate in Halloween parades and meet voters in various Queens and Manhattan neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Gov. Hochul was scheduled for campaign stops on Long Island and in Brooklyn and Queens.
The campaigns engaged in Halloween-themed attacks. Blakeman's social media accounts featured AI-generated images and video depicting Hochul as a witch, with a post on X stating, "Forget witches. The real Halloween nightmare is four more years of Kathy Hochul! DITCH THE WITCH!"
In response, Hochul's campaign criticized Blakeman's program of armed, civilian-volunteer "emergency special deputy sheriffs," labeling it a "militia clusterf**k" in a mass email.
