Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has a message for New York’s Republican leaders: The road to the governor’s mansion runs through Long Island.

Blakeman, the Nassau County executive who won reelection last week, has been traveling the state in recent days as he weighs a run for governor in 2026. A Republican who counts himself as an ally to President Donald Trump, he says his decisive reelection on an otherwise poor night for the GOP nationwide is proof he can connect with voters in a deeply Democratic state.

Blakeman said he would take the next two to three weeks to decide whether to hop into the 2026 governor’s race.

But his gubernatorial flirtation is drawing major pushback from party leaders — most notably state GOP Chair Ed Cox, who is backing Rep. Elise Stefanik for governo

See Full Page