Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman took aim at Manhattan over the weekend, describing the borough as a “disaster” and comparing conditions on its streets to a “third-world country” because of homeless encampments and trash.
“The place is just a disaster,” Blakeman said Sunday during an appearance on 77 WABC Radio’s “Cats Roundtable.”
Speaking with host John Catsimatidis, Blakeman said business owners in Manhattan had voiced frustration to him about the state of the city. “I talked to store owners in Manhattan, and they are very, very upset about … homeless people all over the place. Litter all over our streets,” he said. “It just looks like a third-world country.”
His remarks followed The Post’s Friday report detailing homeless encampments on streets near the Intrepid Museum, which the paper said had been allowed to grow under Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Blakeman, who currently serves as Nassau County executive, also criticized the socialist mayor over the decision to cancel a planned round of hiring for New York City police officers.
“You saw the multiple shootings in New York City just over [4th of July] weekend,” Blakeman said.
“It’s like gunfights from the Wild West,” he continued. “When you have a mayor that has a budget larger than the State of Florida, and he couldn’t find money to hire cops and not fill vacancies of all the people who retired over the last year — you know that his heart is not into protecting our communities.”
Blakeman also turned his criticism toward Gov. Kathy Hochul, his Democratic opponent, accusing her of overseeing a state ranked last for “economic outlook” and claiming that “common sense” Democrats are “craving for me” to unseat her.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal slammed Blakeman for smearing his borough with false apocalyptic statements.
“What’s he bloviating on about? This is the fun summer of Manhattan!” Hoylman-Sigal said, linking Blakeman to his longtime friend, President Trump.
“The Knicks! The World Cup! America 250! Taylor and Travis! Plus, with crime at all-time lows in Manhattan, it’s safe enough even for precious-minded suburbanites like Bruce to enjoy all that’s happening here,” the BP added.
“The real disaster is Bruce Blakeman’s campaign that’s joined at the hip with Donald Trump, the most unpopular president in modern American history.”
Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovackialso claimed Blakeman is living in an alternate universe.
“While Governor Hochul is driving down costs for families, investing in local cops to keep our streets and subways safe, and getting 10,000 illegal guns off the street, Blakeman is ‘MAGA all the way’ and proud of it — letting violent crime hit ten-year highs and ICE run rampant, all while caving to Donald Trump at every opportunity,” Radulovack said.
Blakeman will have to overcome a pronounced enrollment disadvantage and pick up non-affiliated and crossover voters in the deeply blue Empire State if he’s to win the November elections.
Democrats outnumber Republicans 6 million to 2.8 million in the state, according to the state’s active voter enrollment logs. There are now also 3.1 million active registered voters in the state, more than the total enrollment of active GOP members.
