Trailing Hochul, Blakeman bids for attention with colorful claims

In recent weeks, Republican candidate for governor Bruce Blakeman has suggested a Jewish politician could have been a concentration camp guard. He said he opposed public benefits for lazy people. He cracked that Gov. Kathy Hochul must be importing electricity from Mars and declared  a house of worship is exactly the place he'd want to carry a gun.

Poltical analysts say Blakeman's increasingly provocative rhetoric resembles the style of President Donald Trump, his biggest endorser, and reflects an effort to attract attention as he trails in name recognition and in the polls.

Hochul, too, has embraced foul language in the last year.

But analysts also note the remarks from Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, come when the latest public opinion poll shows Hochul's lead growing.

"There is so much going on right now in the political sphere and so much of it outrageous stuff, it is hard to get attention now and this thing he said about Lander, well, that got attention," said Julie Novkov, dean of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany.

She was referring to Blakeman likening Brad Lander, a Jewish Democrat who won a Manhattan congressional primary in June, to a "camp guard in the concentration camp," referring to Nazis and the Holocaust.

After widespread blowback, Blakeman a few days later modified his remarks a bit, telling NY1 "maybe camp guard was too strong, but certainly a collaborator."

Novkov called the remark "pretty far out there, even in a time when political rhetoric is heated." She said part of the strategy is to appeal to people who support Trump.

"Certainly, he is running his campaign by playing up his alliance with Donald Trump and portray his having a strong allegiance to Donald Trump," Novkov said. "One way to underline that is to use the over-the-top rhetoric of Donald Trump."

"That language is meant for an audience of one," Glenn C. Altschuler, a professor emeritus of American studies at Cornell University, said.

To be sure, it’s part of a national trend of harsher political language and public swearing since Trump ran for president in 2016. More recently, Hochul and Sen. Chuck Schumer have been using curse words in public remarks, as has Hudson Valley Rep. Mike Lawler when talking about the governor.

"The hope of the people who use the language is that it will identify them as using everyday language, blunt language, honest language. I don’t think that works for all that many people," Altschuler said. "For a larger number of people, it’s either ignored or it’s irrelevant."

In the New York race for governor, the Lander remark landed a few days ahead the latest public poll, which showed Hochul’s lead over Blakeman growing to 20 points.

The Republican has sought to downplay the Siena University poll, and his campaign has said Wednesday's campaign finance report will show he is raising more money than some would expect.

But analysts said the poll shows Blakeman needs a way to break through and he’s trying everything.

"It sounds like a campaign that is scrambling and looking for something that will get traction, trying out different things," Syracuse University political scientist Grant Reeher said about Blakeman’s Lander remark.

Reeher noted people are concerned about education and artificial intelligence — hence Blakeman’s incorrect claim that bots were used to write Regents exams. People are concerned about skyrocketing energy costs — Blakeman issued a release saying Hochul must think she’s importing electricity from Mars.

While touring in Buffalo last month, Blakeman more than once said he supports childcare benefits for working parents but "not some lazy ass." 

When a candidate is down in the polls, Novkov said: "One strategy is to just do everything you can you can to turn out the hardest of hardcore Republican supporters and the harsh rhetoric would be one way to signal that you are with that constituency."

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy