A satirical political ad campaign from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s camp will target Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman’s armed MAGA militia. Blakeman, a Trump-backed Nassau County executive, and County Sheriff Anthony LaRocco recruited civilians with pistol licenses in 2024 through the Provisional Emergency Special Deputy Program. Recruitment materials said volunteers would protect life and property during emergencies. Hochul’s campaign aims to capitalize on controversy and a lawsuit alleging some members are unqualified, have troubling histories, and that Blakeman kept the program secret enough to prevent effective oversight. The ad uses an Uncle Sam parody to suggest Blakeman wants people with arrest records or GOP donor ties to join. The Blakeman campaign did not respond to requests for comment. The militia is described as a conditional backup unit for sworn officers, with training requirements referenced by recruiting documents and county legislators.
"The ad depicts Blakeman as Uncle Sam in the iconic I Want You army recruitment ad, mockingly suggesting Blakeman wants anyone with an arrest record or a Republican donor to join the militia. The Blakeman campaign did not respond to multiple requests from amNewYork for comment. A new Hochul campaign political ad depicts Republican opponent Bruce Blakeman as an Uncle Sam figure, recruiting armed civilians to a MAGA militia. Courtesy of Hochul campaign Nassau County's militia is billed as a conditional backup unit to assist sworn officers."
Read at www.amny.com
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