Nassau 2025: Midway Through First Term, “Mixed Reviews” for County Exec. Bruce Blakeman

“Halfway into his four-year term, Blakeman has struggled to make headway on major county challenges that were at the center of his campaign or that cropped up early in his administration,” reported Newsday. “His pledge to ‘immediately cut taxes,’ to fix financial woes that have plagued Nassau University Medical Center and to correct a ‘broken’ assessment system have taken a back seat to conservative culture wars targeting masks, migrants, transgender athletes, and New York City crime, critics say. His appointment of political allies to key county posts, public battles with Democrats Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James, and reinstatement of signs with the county executive's name on county properties have raised questions over his role and its limits.”

Blakeman, a Republican from Atlantic Beach, surprised most observers when he defeated then-County Executive Laura Curran, a Baldwin Democrat, by just 2,146 votes in 2021. No Democrats have currently declared for the race, which is expected to be competitive.