Bruce Blakeman hammers Dem Gov Hochul, Mamdani over subway safety during NYC campaign ride

Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for New York governor, took his campaign onto the New York City subway on Monday to argue that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has left riders less secure. Fox News reports that he called her the "most pro-criminal governor" and tied Mayor Zohran Mamdani to the same charge, saying subway crime has climbed sharply under both.

Blakeman, who serves as the Nassau County executive and once held a commissioner's post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told reporters that everyone he has spoken with says they feel less safe on public transit, and he has heard no one say the opposite. He said Hochul and Mamdani are not committed to public safety, and that he would be.

His proposals included hiring additional police officers and conductors, cleaning up the system, and getting treatment for people with mental illness who wander the stations and trains. He faulted Hochul for cutting the number of conductors. He also criticized congestion pricing as a tax on the middle class, arguing that safer and cleaner transit, not a fee, is what would bring riders back.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →