President Donald Trump made a last-minute plea to New York voters on Saturday, urging them to elect Republican Bruce Blakeman as governor on Election Day, in a telephone rally that put the state's governor race at the centre of the final weekend before the November 3, 2026 midterm elections. Trump told supporters that Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, could rescue New York from what he called Governor Kathy Hochul's "failed and incompetent" leadership, and he predicted victory even though recent polls put Hochul ahead by 11 to 14 points.
The Trump Blakeman appeal, delivered by phone to supporters across New York, also promoted two other Republican candidates on the ballot: attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy and upstate congressional hopeful Anthony Constantino. Trump framed the choice in stark terms, telling voters that Blakeman would bring his style of leadership to Albany, while Hochul, he said, had been a disaster for the state.
Speaking during the tele-rally on Saturday, October 31, 2026, Trump told New Yorkers that Blakeman could save the Empire State from Hochul's leadership. "Kathy Hochul may be the worst governor in the history of New York State and one of the worst in the nation," he said, according to the New York Post's report of the call. "She been a disaster, and I can tell you that Bruce has been a friend of mine for a long time," he added.
Trump praised Blakeman's record in Nassau County, pointing to what he described as resounding results and strong management. He said Blakeman had started his campaign with a promise to bring Trump-style leadership to Albany, and he told supporters that, if Blakeman wins, he would be "one of the first calls" and would receive tremendous help from the federal government. The president also used the call to claim that the war with Iran is all but over, saying: "We're winning very easily the war with Iran."
The tele-rally format mattered. In the final days of the campaign, Trump has leaned on telephone rallies rather than in-person events in some states, a shift his party says lets him reach voters across many states in a short window. The New York call reached voters statewide just three days before polls opened, at a moment when both parties were making their closing arguments.
The New York governor race is one of the highest-profile state contests on the November 3 ballot. Hochul, a Democrat, is seeking a second full term as governor after first taking office in 2021. Blakeman, a Republican, has served as Nassau County executive, leading one of the largest suburban counties in the country, on Long Island.
Throughout the campaign, Hochul has cast Trump himself as the central issue, arguing that New Yorkers should reject a candidate closely aligned with the president. Her campaign and her spokesperson have repeatedly portrayed Trump as a political threat to the state, a strategy Hochul has used many times during the race. Blakeman, by contrast, has embraced the Trump connection, promising to work with Washington rather than fight it.
The race has also drawn celebrity attention. In late October, rapper Nicki Minaj urged New Yorkers not to re-elect Hochul, calling her an "evil woman" in an October 28 post on X and telling voters to elect Blakeman. Hochul responded at a campaign stop in Albany, saying Minaj ought to "get outside and get offline a little more" and stop going to Trump rallies. Blakeman welcomed Minaj's support, quipping that it was "time to fire the worst governor in America". Minaj had previously backed Hochul for lieutenant governor in 2018, making her switch one of the campaign's more talked-about turns.
Polling gives Hochul a clear, if not commanding, lead heading into Election Day. Recent surveys cited in reports of the tele-rally put Hochul ahead by anywhere from 11 to 14 points. A Siena poll of likely voters put her at 54 per cent to Blakeman's 40 per cent, while a Marist poll put her at 53 per cent to 42 per cent. Those margins suggest a Hochul victory, but they also leave room for a late shift, especially in a midterm electorate that can differ sharply from the voters reached by pollsters.
Trump, however, dismissed the polling gap outright. "Despite recent polls showing Hochul ahead anywhere from 11 to 14 points, Trump said he expects the Nassau County executive to win," the New York Post reported. His confidence reflects a broader Republican closing message: that polls understate Republican turnout, and that voters who are dissatisfied with the direction of the state will break late for change.
For Blakeman, the path to an upset runs through the suburbs and upstate New York, where Republican turnout has historically been strong, plus a share of voters in New York City who are frustrated with crime, costs and services. For Hochul, the path runs through New York City and its suburbs, where Democratic registration and turnout usually decide statewide races.
Hochul's campaign responded to the tele-rally by returning to its central argument. Her spokesperson, Ryan Radulovack, attempted to paint Trump as a boogeyman, according to the New York Post, a framing the governor has used repeatedly throughout the campaign. The response did not engage directly with Trump's "worst governor" charge, instead treating the president's intervention as itself a reason to vote for Hochul.
Blakeman's camp welcomed the presidential backing. Trump described Blakeman as a "great manager" with resounding results in Nassau County, and said the county had been rated the safest county in the United States by US News & World Report. That safety claim has been a staple of Blakeman's pitch: that his management of Nassau County proves he can run a large, complex government effectively.
Among voters, the race has become a test of how much the Trump factor helps or hurts in a blue state. In New York, Trump lost the state by large margins in 2016, 2020 and 2024, yet he remains popular with a large Republican minority and with some independent voters who back his positions on crime, immigration and the economy.
The New York governor race matters beyond Albany. Governors control redistricting implementation, election administration, criminal justice policy and the state budget, and New York's governor is one of the most powerful state executives in the country. A Blakeman upset would be a political earthquake, giving Republicans control of a state they have not won at the gubernatorial level since George Pataki left office in 2006.
It also matters for the national midterm story. Republicans are defending a 53-47 Senate majority and trying to hold the House, while Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats and are favoured to win the House. A strong Republican showing in New York, even in defeat, could signal enthusiasm that carries into competitive House races in the state, several of which will help decide control of Congress.
Finally, the race is a test of closing-message strategy. Hochul has bet that making the election about Trump will mobilise Democrats. Trump has bet that making it about Hochul's record will persuade swing voters. On Tuesday, New Yorkers will settle that argument.
New Yorkers vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, alongside midterm elections across the country that will decide control of Congress and dozens of governor's offices. Polls close in New York in the evening, and results are expected to come in through the night. If the polls are right, Hochul will win a second full term; if Trump is right, Blakeman will deliver one of the biggest upsets of the night.
Either way, the result will shape the final two years of Trump's presidency. A Hochul win keeps a Democratic governor in Albany who has positioned herself as a check on Washington. A Blakeman win would give Trump an ally in one of the country's largest states and a powerful voice in national Republican politics.
Who is Bruce Blakeman? Bruce Blakeman is the Republican candidate for governor of New York and the current Nassau County executive. He is running against Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.
What did Trump say about Hochul? Trump called Hochul possibly "the worst governor in the history of New York State and one of the worst in the nation" and described her leadership as "failed and incompetent".
When is the New York governor election? New Yorkers vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as part of the midterm elections.
Who is leading in the polls? Recent polls put Hochul ahead by 11 to 14 points, with Siena at 54 per cent to 40 per cent and Marist at 53 per cent to 42 per cent.
Who else did Trump back in the tele-rally? Trump also promoted Saritha Komatireddy for attorney general and Anthony Constantino for Congress.
Related coverage: Trump administration social media posts criticised days before midterms, Alaska calls Trump ballot demand impossible in Saturday court filing, and Election-week jobs report in focus before midterms.
Sources: New York Post, October 31, 2026; Internewscast and QNC News reports of the same tele-rally, November 1, 2026; Siena and Marist polls cited in those reports; USA Today, October 29, 2026, on the Minaj-Hochul exchange. Featured image is an illustrative campaign-scene image.
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