New York Republican Bruce Blakeman blasts Stefanik as 'selfish' for not being more involved

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who ran for New York governor as a Republican, slammed fellow New Yorker and GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik on Thursday for not being more involved in state elections, blasting her as "selfish." 

Blakeman lost his election to incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul this week. Tuesday's election saw just five Republicans win House seats in New York so far. One race, which is for Stefanik's replacement, has not been called.

"Elise Stefanik is a selfish, do nothing politician that didn’t lift a finger to help Republican candidates in New York this year," Blakeman said in a post on X. "She had one moment of glory in what was otherwise an unremarkable career."

Stefanik, who served as the chair of the House Republican Conference, announced her campaign for governor last year but withdrew her candidacy a month later and opted out of seeking an eighth term in office.

"I know feelings are raw in the aftermath of Tuesday's result so I will cut some slack because while I don’t know from experience, as I have never lost any of my seven elections, I know that this is a tough loss in NY and I imagine it takes time to process," Stefanik said in response to Blakeman's post. 

"The reality is with time, we will need everyone to be part of the solution including local county level officials because we so desperately need it in our state and country," she continued. "I voted for Bruce and straight Republican ticket and have worked for decades helping Republicans across the state and country including him."

The lawmaker highlighted that she has raised over $100 million for Republicans nationwide, including New York, over the past decade. Stefanik was first elected to congress in 2015.

"We will need everyone to be a constructive part of the effort to rebuild Republican support as we learn from this historic loss," she added.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.