Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Tuesday said he is running to be the next governor of New York.

"It is official. I am running for Governor of New York. Our state is struggling with high taxes, rising utility bills, and rising crime. New Yorkers deserve a proven leader who will Put New York First," Blakeman said on X .

This pits Blakeman, a lawyer serving his second term as county executive, against Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who announced her plan to run for governor in November. The two politicians are big fans of President Donald Trump and will likely seek his endorsement.

Blakeman is well known in Long Island, but has little name recognition in the rest of the sate. He has drawn national news headlines by creating a force of armed volunteers to deploy in the case

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