He says he was bumped for Kat.
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman is accusing organizers of the upcoming West Indian Day Parade breakfast of dropping him from the speaking program to clear space for Democrats.
People close to Blakeman’s campaign said the Nassau County executive had been invited to make remarks at the annual pre-parade breakfast ahead of the celebration on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. But, they claimed, he was later told he would not speak after his rival, Gov. Kathy Hochul, confirmed she would appear on a lineup that already includes progressive favorite Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Organizers denied that account. The dispute comes just weeks after state Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo (D-Bronx) declined to hand Blakeman the microphone during remarks at August’s Dominican Day Parade.
“Kathy Hochul blocked me from the Dominican Day Parade, and now the West Indian Day Parade,” Blakeman said, referring to the governor he is seeking to unseat.
“As the polls tighten and more New Yorkers learn about her tax-hiking record, it’s clear why she doesn’t want me to have a mic,” the Republican added. “No matter what she does, she can’t keep me from making the case for a better and more affordable New York.”
A parade organizer who spoke with The Post rejected Blakeman’s claim outright, saying he had never been invited to speak and was never placed on the schedule to deliver remarks.
According to the organizer, the group reached out last week to Blakeman aide Menashe Shapiro to explain that the speaking program was being limited to statewide and citywide elected officials, along with three local Brooklyn representatives. The change, the organizer said, followed an NYPD request to keep the breakfast on a tighter schedule so the West Indian Day Parade could step off on time.
Blakeman had purchased a table at the event and is scheduled to attend even though he’s excluded from the list of speakers. Attendees are also told not to make political statements along the ride as the parade is nonpartisan.
Hochul and Mamdani are slated to speak, as is city Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. City Council Speaker Julie Menin, City Comptroller Mark Levine, and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, according to the organizers.
Hochul has marched in the West Indian Day Parade as governor every year since it returned from its COVID-19 hiatus in 2022.
A spokesperson shrugged off Blakeman’s claims.
“No, the governor’s team didn’t block Bruce Blakeman from speaking – this is as fake as his AI campaign ads,” Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said.
Hochul is seeking her second full four-year term after the former lieutenant governor replaced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in 2021.
The governor is paid $250,000 a year.
