Bruce Blakeman fires back at GOP rival Elise Stefanik
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, who had considered a run for governor, and the eventual nominee Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Credit: Getty/Newsday/Tom Williams/Steve Pfost
Bruce Blakeman on Thursday called Rep. Elise Stefanik a "selfish, do-nothing politician who didn’t lift a finger to help Republicans," in a social media post Thursday, one day after she brutally derided his unsuccessful bid for governor.
The intraparty skirmish started not long after Gov. Kathy Hochul won reelection by a landslide over Blakeman, the Republican Nassau county executive, with unofficial totals showing the Democrat ahead, 60% to 40%.
The result was part of a national trend Tuesday, with Democrats winning control of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate and flipping five governorships.
Still, Stefanik (R-Schuylerville) pinned the blame for Hochul’s win on the state Republican Party and Blakeman, telling the New York Post that’s what happens "when you have a low energy campaign with limited resources that lacked an apparatus." Stefanik had announced a run for governor in 2025 but dropped out when President Donald Trump wouldn’t make an endorsement in the race and she eventually said she wouldn’t even run for reelection.
By Thursday afternoon, Blakeman fired back, saying Stefanik was focused just on herself.
"Elise Stefanik is a selfish, do nothing politician that didn’t lift a finger to help Republican candidates in New York this year," Blakeman wrote on X, the social-media website formerly known as Twitter. "She had one moment of glory in what was otherwise an unremarkable career."
Two hours later, Stefanik responded on X,
"I know feelings are raw ... so I will cut some slack because while I don’t know from experience, as I have never lost any of my seven elections, I know that this is a tough loss in NY and I imagine it takes time to process," the congresswoman wrote. "I voted for Bruce and straight Republican ticket and have worked for decades helping Republicans across the state and country including him. ... We will need everyone to be a constructive part of the effort to rebuild Republican support as we learn from this historic loss."
Check back for updates on this developing story.
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