A Super PAC backed by Knicks owner James Dolan has launched a new attack on Gov. Kathy Hochul, putting the Bruce Blakeman ad fight at the center of New York’s governor’s race. The pro-Blakeman group, Strong and Safe New York, is spending more than $1 million on a 30-second digital and streaming spot titled “Get Outta Town,” which is set to run for several weeks.
The commercial uses clips of Hochul telling New Yorkers to “jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong. Get outta town!” It also shows her saying, “Our tax base has been eroded. Maybe the first step should be go down to Palm Beach and see who we can bring back home.” The narrator then turns the message back on the governor, asking why people would return if New York still means higher taxes and higher utility bills. The ad ends by pitching Blakeman as the candidate who will lower taxes and make the state affordable again.
The Dolan-backed PAC is emerging as the most aggressive outside group spending to help Blakeman, the Republican challenger in the race. Hochul is running for a second, four-year term and still holds a major financial edge. Friends for Kathy Hochul reported $21 million on hand ahead of the election, while the state Democratic Party had another $22 million in its account, according to recent filings.
Blakeman’s side has raised far less. His campaign, along with the Nassau County Republican Party and other GOP groups, has brought in about $11 million, filings show. That gap helps explain why independent spending matters so much in this contest, especially as outside groups try to shape the race before most voters have locked in their choices.
Strong and Safe New York has also tried to make the case that Blakeman is within striking distance. The group released a poll last month claiming Blakeman trailed Hochul by just four percentage points, 47% to 43%, with 10% undecided. Other polls, including those from Siena College, have shown Hochul ahead by double digits. The competing numbers underscore how much of the New York governor race is being fought not just on the ballot, but in the air war around it.
