"Bruce Blakeman's announcement that he is running for governor against fellow Republican Elise Stefanik caught many by surprise, not least of which was the White House. Days before the Nassau County executive said he would challenge Stefanik, President Donald Trump called Blakeman to discourage him from running, according to three sources with knowledge of the conversation. Trump told Blakeman such a campaign would be a waste of time and resources because polling indicated Stefanik was the favorite to face Kathy Hochul in November."
"On Tuesday morning, Blakeman announced he was running anyway, complicating what Stefanik believed would be a cakewalk to the nomination. The result leaves Trump with two of his allies running against each other in his home state. "He's great, and she's great," Trump told reporters on Monday when asked about the matchup. "They're both great people." Privately, according to sources, Trump has said while he's confident Blakeman would lose a primary, he doesn't want to attack Blakeman publicly."
Bruce Blakeman announced a gubernatorial run against Elise Stefanik, surprising Washington figures. President Trump phoned Blakeman days earlier to discourage the campaign, citing polls that favored Stefanik to face Kathy Hochul. Blakeman proceeded with his campaign, producing a contested Republican primary and leaving Trump with two allied candidates in his home state. Trump publicly praised both candidates while privately expressing confidence that Blakeman would lose and preferring not to attack him. Republicans expressed concern about resource-draining primaries, recalling Lee Zeldin's 2022 experience. Stefanik has been viewed as a rising party figure and had a U.N. nomination pulled earlier this year.
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