Bruce Blakeman claims New York governor race is a dead heat

Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman insisted on Saturday that recent public opinion polls showing Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul extending her lead ahead of Election Day are inaccurate. The New York Post reported that Blakeman claimed the governor race is actually a virtual dead heat during an event in Queens, New York. [1]

Blakeman urged more than 100 supporters at a campaign rally at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village to ignore what he called phony polls. The New York Post reported that he was addressing survey data released on Wednesday by Siena College and Marist College that showed Hochul holding a 14-point lead in the contest. [1]

Blakeman currently serves as the county executive of Nassau County. As FTMQ News reported earlier, a Siena Research Institute poll released previously had Hochul leading Blakeman 54 percent to 40 percent, while Blakeman has been conducting campaign events across New York City boroughs in the final stretch of the election. [1][8][9]

The latest statements come as both candidates make their final pitches to voters during the last weekend of early voting ahead of the election on Tuesday. ABC7 New York and CBS News both report that the candidates are actively campaigning across the state to secure votes before polls close. [2][4][5]