President Donald Trump on Saturday endorsed Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman in the New York gubernatorial race, just one day after Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., dropped out of the GOP primary.
Trump called Blakeman a “FANTASTIC guy” and offered him his “Complete and Total Endorsement” on Truth Social.
“Bruce is MAGA all the way, and has been with me from the very beginning. As Nassau County Executive, he is working tirelessly with the Brave Heroes of ICE, Border Patrol, and Law Enforcement to Keep Our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Safeguard our Community, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER,” Trump wrote.
Blakeman, a Trump ally, entered the Republican primary earlier this month despite Trump’s attempt to seemingly nudge him to steer clear of the race after endorsing Blakeman for re-election to his current post.
Blakeman’s entrance into the primary marked Stefanik’s first notable challenger after officially launching her long-teased bid for governor in November. Another potential Stefanik challenger, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., opted to run for his battleground House seat again after receiving a similar re-election endorsement from Trump earlier in the year.
The decision from Blakeman to enter the race launched New York Republicans into a potentially contentious battle, despite the fact that whichever Republican emerged victorious from the primary would likely face an uphill battle in the blue state.
Trump last week — before Stefanik withdrew from the race — praised both Stefanik and Blakeman. He called Stefanik a “great Republican” and her then-competitor “a very good Republican.”
Blakeman attended a Hanukkah reception at the White House earlier this week.
Announcing her campaign suspension and her decision to not seek re-election to Congress, Stefanik said Friday that she “would have overwhelmingly won this primary,” but wanted to spare the state from “an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.”
Stefanik was previously elected as House Republican conference chair in 2021. She left that role when, earlier this year, Trump selected her to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She returned to Congress without a leadership title after Trump withdrew her nomination for that role.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
