Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is not just running against the unintended and accidental Governor Kathy Hochul. He’s also very much running against NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who gets mentioned here way too often week after week.
Mamdani is the classic “man bites dog" story, and the politician who many in our readership love to criticize and denigrate as much as possible, and not without valid reason.
But at this relatively early stage in the process, parts are being put into place to garner votes for Blakeman to achieve a victory over Hochul in a manner that is both legal and proper.
So, let’s set this up for a moment. Earlier this year critics of Israel, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and even Vice President JD Vance, denounced the war with Iran and the fact that the U.S. destroyed their nuclear capabilities on behalf of a foreign country-Israel.
There are few countries around the world that are on the receiving end of U.S. foreign aid to the tune of billions of dollars that these people would criticize and condemn so vehemently as they do Israel. But knocking Israel makes them feel safe, even warm and fuzzy. They feel comfortable venting their rage against Israel because Israel is a normal, average country with normal, civilized people who live good and productive lives. That means people who get up in the morning, go to work, and then go home to their families. These pundits don’t need security details trailing them around because of their outspoken stance against Israel.
These same outspoken critics are not going to be too openly harsh against people who have no jobs and walk around each day with shoulder-fired missile launchers and Kalashnikov rifles. That might be a little too daring, too bold, not to mention too dangerous. So, they go after Israel.
Earlier this year, responding to why the U.S. is so dedicated to spending so much money on Israel’s defense, Ambassador Mike Huckabee said that there are currently 700,000 U.S. citizens residing either full-time or part-time in Israel. And that is just part of the reason why the U.S. cares so much about Israel’s security, not to mention the strategic importance of the Jewish state in that part of the world.
The objective is that they live safely and in peace. But as Americans, among other things, they have the right to exercise their privilege to vote in U.S. elections, especially those that may have important repercussions for their loved ones in the States.
Let’s take a look at the numbers. As Ambassador Huckabee said, there are around 700,000 American Jews living either part-time or full-time in Israel who are also tax-paying U.S. citizens. If one-third to one-half of all Jews in the United States live in New York, then we can surmise that roughly half of all American Jews living in Israel are most likely from somewhere in New York, which comes to around 350,000 people, many of whom are potential voters in New York elections.
At this stage of the game, there are two important issues to consider, according to Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel. As stated by Mr. Zell, who has lived in Israel since 1988 and has been involved in mostly national campaigns, about 90% of Israelis who vote in American elections vote Republican.
That’s an important fact to consider when it comes to this fall’s upcoming gubernatorial race between Republican Bruce Blakeman and the incumbent, Kathy Hochul, who, if she wins, will be completely and utterly subservient to Zohran Mamdani. Therefore, a vote for Blakeman is not just a way of defeating Hochul at the polls, it also sends a strong message to Mamdani regarding his progressive, antisemitic policies.
To that end, a delegation from New York is in Israel this week setting the groundwork to distribute and collect ballots from U.S. citizens in Israel for the 2026 New York gubernatorial election.
Republicans Overseas Israel is led by Dr. Avishai Neuman, who is in Israel, and Av Rodin, who is organizing the campaign in the Jewish community here in New York. It’s vital to note that four years ago, when Lee Zeldin faced off against Kathy Hochul, he came up just 300,000 votes short.
And that was without the Mamdani motivation, which hopefully will bring together Republicans, Independents, and level-headed centrist Democrats who hopefully will have the good sense to vote for Mr. Blakeman and try to stop New York from going down the socialist drainpipe.
Basically, what we’re working on here is the possibility that there may be as many as a quarter million New Yorkers living in Israel who may be eligible to vote and are qualified and able to submit absentee ballots.
In terms of how something like this might affect the New York gubernatorial race, it is the impact these ballots will have on the final numbers that determine who wins the election. But let’s not fail to mention the poetic justice involved in a New York election where votes from Israel may help decide the outcome, and it would indeed be the oddest way to deliver a victory for Bruce Blakeman, not to mention the message it sends to the pro-terror, anti-Israel Mayor Mamdani.
Granted, it will not be easy. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. But when you look back at Mr. Zell’s efforts on behalf of elections, the potential is powerful and a game changer. Republicans Overseas Israel is not doing this for the first time. They’ve had a significant impact on U.S. elections going back to 2000, when George Bush edged out Al Gore after a Supreme Court decision on the matter.
It’s relatively early in the voting process and that is the important thing this time around. In the past, someone came up with the idea, tried to put the pieces together, then scrambled around trying to get absentee votes together in time for the election.
That’s not the story this time around. Dr. Neuman is on the ground in Israel this week with his team. Av Rodin is working behind the scenes in New York. The team of Republicans Overseas Israel has worked diligently on campaigns over the last few years and were instrumental in putting together thousands of absentee votes for President Trump in all three of his elections.
It’s not wise to go too deeply into the details, but there’s a design and protocol in place that can help make this happen. The last poll from two weeks ago shows that Hochul’s lead over Blakeman has shrunk down to 4%. That’s practically margin of error territory.
On top of that, just over the last week, Israel’s President Herzog spoke out critically against Mamdani and how he so easily dispenses Jew-hatred. We also heard similar sentiments from Israel’s UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, and Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, and of course when he was here in New York, Prime Minister Netanyahu also spoke out against Mamdani.
And now the Department of Justice is actively investigating crimes fueled by antisemitism in New York City and has sent a letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanding answers about his unequal treatment of Jews.
It’s just the start of the DOJ actively probing discriminatory treatment that is evolving into everyday policy for the New York City Mayor. This is an important matter, but right now, the important task is to garner legal votes from New Yorkers in Israel to push Blakeman into the governor’s mansion in Albany.
It’s an urgent political necessity and at the same time, the fact that Israel is playing such a vital role in a New York election must be Zohran Mamdani’s worst nightmare.
Larry Gordon is the editor and publisher of the Five Towns Jewish Times.