Bruce Blakeman, the Jewish executive of Nassau County, who lost the New York gubernatorial election to Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, by almost 20 points, is drawing widespread criticism for attacking his former GOP primary rival, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.).
“Elise Stefanik is a selfish, do nothing politician that didn’t lift a finger to help Republican candidates in New York this year,” Blakeman stated on Thursday. “She had one moment of glory in what was otherwise an unremarkable career.”
Stefanik, who made national news for her tough questions to university presidents about Jew-hatred on their campuses, was Trump’s pick for U.S. envoy to the United Nations, but he later said that it was important for her to stay in Congress. Stefanik ran for governor, and didn’t draw a Trump endorsement. She dropped out of the race and said that she wouldn’t run for reelection, citing family obligations.
“Elise Stefanic was and is a star in the Republican Party. You should have never primaried her,” stated Inna Vernikov, a Republican member of the New York City Council and co-chair of the council’s bipartisan task force on Jew-hatred.
“Nassau County ran a grift, pushed out a very competent and worthy candidate in Elise and lied to voters and donors about your prospects via fake polling,” Vernikov stated. “No elected Republican with half of a brain ever believed you had a shot of winning governor and beating Hochul.”
“At her young age, Elise did more for our country and party, and accomplished more for New York especially for its Jewish community and college students than you and the entire Nassau County boys club can ever ever imagine possible,” Vernikov said. “She has got more intelligence, charisma, political acumen, courage and grit than all of you combined, and you have some chutzpah to attack her after your failed grift of a campaign.”
Vernikov called Blakeman’s post “petty and childish.”
“Don’t be bitter,” she said. “Reflect on your own missteps.”
Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, which represents more than 1,000 Jewish public school educators and staff in New York City, stated that Blakeman’s was “a horrible take and really unfortunate.”
“You couldn’t even carry Nassau County. That’s on you,” he wrote. “Maybe less awful AI videos and next time focus more on the needs of the people.”
Stefanik said that she knew that “feelings are raw in the aftermath of Tuesday’s result, so I will cut some slack.”
“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 New York and I imagine it takes time to process. I’m going to give some upstate grace whether deserved or not,” she wrote. “The reality is with time, we will need everyone to be part of the solution including local county level officials, because we so desperately need it in our state and country.”
“I voted for Bruce and straight Republican ticket and have worked for decades helping Republicans across the state and country including him,” she stated. “Over the past decade, I have worked hard to campaign, support and raise over $100 million to help boost Republicans up and down the ticket across the country and the state.”
She added that everyone has to be a “constructive part of the effort to rebuild Republican support as we learn from this historic loss.”
