Gov. Kathy Hochul threw shade at Republican rival Bruce Blakeman — boasting that almost-candidate Elise Stefanik “probably” would have been a tougher general election opponent.
The jab from Hochul prompted Blakeman, who is now serving as the elected Nassau County executive, to compare the incumbent governor to Disney villain Cruella de Vil from the movie “101 Dalmatians.”
The Democrat governor made the comments in response to a question from Newsday’s editorial board, which noted she was leading Blakeman comfortably in most polls.
“Probably,” she said. “I mean, Bruce is, you know, Bruce.”
Hochul said Stefanik “had the ability to raise a lot of money” because of her national following as a rising GOP star in the House of Representatives.
“It would have been a different race,” Hochul said.
But Hochul said she would still win a contest against Stefanik, the upstate congresswoman who is retiring from the House at year’s end.
Stefanik, who has $10.8 million in cash on hand in her congressional campaign account, had considered running for governor but opted not to.
“Our polling shows us beating her as well,” Hochul said.
Blakeman’s camp fired back Tuesday in a statement.
“Cruella de Vil would have been a tougher opponent than Kathy Hochul,” Blakeman said.
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Stefanik declined to comment.
Hochul is seeking a second full, four-year term after the former lieutenant governor first took office after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021.
She won the office outright in 2022 by just 6 points in the deeply blue Empire State over then-Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, now Trump’s Environmental Protection administrator.
She holds a large financial advantage over Blakeman.
The next round of campaign filings are not due until July 15 but Hochul’s campaign had about $20 million in her campaign account, according to her previous filing, compared to just $1.4 million for Blakeman.
Blakeman is likely to obtain another $3 million-$4 million in public matching funds.
The state Democratic Party also had $14 million on hand in its accounts that could be tapped to help elect Hochul-led statewide ticket.
The state Republican Party had less than $1 million on hand.
A pro-Blakeman Super PAC called “Make It Cheaper” has formed to help level the playing field. Super PACs can accept unlimited donations.
Meanwhile, Hochul also told Newsday she’s bullish on Democrats holding onto two Long Island House seats and even winning red seats upstate. She is optimistic Democratic Army veteran Cait Conley could beat GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in Hudson Valley’s 17th District.
