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NYS Dem leader begs GOP to bring Trump back to Long Island after Republicans’ Election Day trouncing
New York Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs mocked Republicans after Governor Kathy Hochul defeated Bruce Blakeman by about 20 percentage points, urging them to bring President Donald Trump back to Long Island. Blakeman also appeared set to lose Nassau County, which he leads as county executive, as the result formed part of a wider Democratic wave in the midterm elections.
Unofficial statewide tallies put Hochul ahead by about 60% to 39.8%; in Nassau, she led 50% to 49.9% while votes were still being counted. Trump had campaigned for Blakeman there in August, and Democratic commentators argued his close association with the president hurt the Republican, while a pollster said voter frustration with the cost of living helped Hochul. Republicans also lost control of both chambers of Congress, and five states’ governorships changed to Democratic hands.
In short
- Hochul beat Blakeman by about 20 points.
- She narrowly led in Blakeman’s Nassau County.
- Commentators linked his defeat to backlash against Trump and higher costs.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Democrats can argue the results show voters rejected a Republican campaign closely tied to Trump, and that his August appearance with Blakeman made the race a test of the president’s appeal on Long Island. Hochul’s large statewide lead and Blakeman’s narrow deficit in Nassau, alongside Democratic gains elsewhere, lend weight to that interpretation, though cost-of-living concerns may also have mattered.
The case against
Republicans can argue that a single election does not establish that Trump’s association caused Blakeman’s defeat, particularly amid a wider Democratic wave and voter concerns about living costs. The Nassau result was exceptionally close while counting continued, so it may reflect local factors and a divided electorate more than a decisive verdict on Trump or Republican policies.
Explained simply
New York’s governor is the state’s chief executive, while Nassau County, on Long Island, has its own elected county executive. Jay Jacobs leads the state Democratic Party; Kathy Hochul is the governor and a Democrat, and Bruce Blakeman is Nassau County’s Republican county executive.
Donald Trump campaigned for Blakeman in Nassau County, linking the local contest to national politics. The cost of living and voters’ views of the president were among the issues discussed during the campaign. The results matter because they reflect both New York’s political balance and broader shifts in control of elected offices across the country.
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