Bruce Blakeman still doesn’t know Mayor Mamdani’s name

The one and only gubernatorial debate before the upcoming election began Tuesday night with Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman imploring New Yorkers to vote for him by asking, “What do you have to lose?”

Blakeman’s implicit thesis was that the state of New York could not be worse than it is now. He pointed to skyrocketing utility bills, relatively high New York state taxes and the challenges facing farmers as evidence — and according to him, it’s all Gov. Kathy Hochul’s fault.

Hochul’s task was to defend his record — linking New York’s economic problems to tariffs, wars and federal funding cuts — and to prove that New Yorkers have a lot to lose if they elect a pro-data center, pro-Trump, pro-ICE Republican.

A taste of the tenor:

Hochul: “It all happened under your friend Donald Trump, you are the president of the Donald Trump fan club. It’s absurd how much you adore him. My God!”

Blakeman: “You like to talk about Donald Trump all the time, because you don’t want to talk about your record: it’s a record of misery and failure.” Blakeman then added that if Trump supported him, so did Democrats. Bonnie Lautenberg And actor Debra Messing.

Hochul replied, “So you have two votes. Good for you.”