Blakeman's Brady Bunch blitz

Daily Point

Team Bruce's silly-season satire

The Bruce Blakeman campaign for governor has yet to make a game-changing ascent against Gov. Kathy Hochul. But at least video and AI are getting the Nassau County executive a little light attention, including with a visibly low-budget parody of the old "Brady Bunch" opening theme.

The tune is altered from the original, presumably to avoid copyright infringement. The words substitute Hochul for Mrs. Brady and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for Mr. Brady. Together they join up, with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and are sung as the insider "Shady Bunch," all Democrats who the lyrics say are "dodging every real solution while pretending everything's all right."

Then the parody features a smiling Blakeman who would "back the blue" and end failed policies, as the song would have it. Hochul shot back that "a guy who's willing to misrepresent the facts by using AI-generated campaign ads has no credibility with me."

For those unfamiliar, the show was a sitcom with a laugh track that ran five seasons between 1969 and 1974. The novel hook was that it featured a blended family — actors Robert Reed, Florence Henderson and the children each brought into the marriage. The Brady Bunch's reinforcement of the traditional housewife role coincides with the hot tradwife phenomenon on social media.

This nostalgic flash of MeTV-ish seems to have an appeal in the Long Island House districts, where the GOP is looking to oust Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen. The House seats seem increasingly to be President Donald Trump's key priority in backing the MAGA-loyal Blakeman on the ticket.

Linking Mamdani to all Democrats on the ballot is a key pitch for national Republicans in the region this year.

In Suffolk County, Rep. Nick LaLota blasts local "sanctuary" policies such as in East Hampton where municipal police do not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but track and report local ICE activities. He's even threatened to cut off discretionary Community Project Funding from East Hampton Town and East Hampton Village.

Now he has a graphic with the slogan "Don't Mamdani My Long Island."

In June, LaLota said after the mayor's left-wing candidates beat two Democratic incumbents for House seats that "Zohran Mamdani and the socialist wing are in the driver's seat" of their party.

As for Blakeman's little foray into '70s sitcoms: Wouldn't "The Odd Couple" better address the potentially rickety alliance between Hochul and Mamdani?

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Final Point

Cross-endorsement deal fallout: 3 new GOP candidates for state Supreme seats

The Point has learned that Republicans and Conservatives in Suffolk County have named three replacements for state Supreme Court justice, 10th District, after a cross-endorsements deal with Democrats went bonkers last week.

According to state Board of Elections filings, Republicans are backing James A. McDonough, Mary Catherine Mullen and Kelly A. Reape for state Supreme Court. A source confirmed those three have backing from Republicans and Conservatives.

So, for the first time in recent memory, Suffolk voters will have a choice of candidates for state Supreme Court judgeships on the ballot. In the past, the three parties made backroom deals that led to dozens of cross-endorsed candidates running unopposed. This year, there are six judge slots up for election in Suffolk's 10th District.

Judge cross-endorsements went sideways last week when the Democratic candidate for county comptroller, Jon Estreich, refused to stand down from that race to accept the Conservative Party nomination for state Supreme Court.

Democrats William D. Wexler and Mary E. Porter lost Republican backing for the judgeships when the usually smooth dealmaking went hurly-burly. Only Democrat Richard Ambro also got the Republican nod. Republicans had to scramble before Friday's deadline to fill the slots that initially had been earmarked for cross-endorsement with Democrats.

One source said Wexler spoke at a recent judicial nominating convention about honoring deals, an apparent jibe at the process falling apart this year.

McDonough and Mullen are currently Suffolk District Criminal Term judges. Mullen was previously an Islip Town councilwoman. Reape's LinkedIn page lists her as an attorney with Guercio & Guercio, which bills itself as "one of New York State's leading school law firms."

Conservatives have Anthony Portesy, a Democrat who pulled out of the county clerk race, the move that started all the monkeying.

The lineup card for November reads: Democrats backing Stephen L. Ukeiley, Eric Sachs, John Kelly, Porter, Ambro and Wexler. The six Republican-backed candidates are: Ambro, John Iliou, McDonough, Mullen, Reape and Karen M. Wilutis. Conservatives are backing Iliou, McDonough, Mullen, Portesy, Reape and Wilutis.

Still to be seen is what fallout may develop from political deals falling apart.

It's almost like Democrats, Republicans and Conservatives stumbled their way into an actual election of judges.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com, Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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