He did it.
He really did it.
Bruce Blakeman came loaded for bear and hit the target.
On the campaign trail, the GOP nominee has often seemed too much of a gentleman to throw a hard punch.
I was wrong about that — and more importantly, so was Kathy Hochul.
She was unprepared for a serious debate with a serious opponent, and as a result, Blakeman repeatedly had her on defense Tuesday night.
Overall, the governor seemed off balance and unsure about how to defend her record.
At times she had no defense, and instead stooped to trying to pin the state’s high energy costs on President Trump.
It was one of many moments throughout the fast-paced hour where she acted as if Trump were her opponent.
Everything wrong with New York was somehow his fault, and Blakeman is unqualified because he would be a Trump toady.
It’s an interesting argument in a deep blue state, but she failed miserably to deliver the goods in a persuasive fashion.
It’s almost as if she believed all she had to do was say Trump 100 times and voters would give her four more years.
On two occasions, Blakeman was savvy in drawing a distinction with Trump.
He noted that he is pro-choice, unlike Trump, and that he favors a guest-worker program instead of deporting those who have worked hard and committed no crimes.
Overall, Blakeman was far better prepared to debate the issues that have made New York No. 1 in losing population to other states.
He hit the right buttons, from energy bills—which are 70 percent higher than the national average, to taxes, where New York is tops in sucking the blood of residents and businesses.
Hochul’s weak response was to claim that she had cut taxes and energy costs, which cannot be accurate, or New York would have been closer to the middle of all 50 states in both categories.
Blakeman also nailed the ways in which sanctuary laws are putting New Yorkers in danger of violent illegal immigrants.
Her response: blame ICE.
That’s the far-left talking, so once again, Hochul makes common cause with the socialists taking over her party.
Sound Trump-et
Panelists Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter did a good job of focusing on big issues and forcing the candidates to be concise.
The spotlight on substance benefited Blakeman, who seemed on top of his game and yet, personally respectful of Hochul.
She had to know her record on taxes and spending is indefensible, so her repeated attempts to blame the president revealed that she has no honest answer.
My concern is that Blakeman waited too long in tying Hochul to Mayor Mamdani.
It’s a point he makes often on the campaign trail, but he might have concluded that the argument cuts both ways in the city.
He did, however, hit the nail on the head in response to a question, by calling Mamdani an antisemite.
He might have expanded the point to fault Hochul for not telling the mayor to shut up and do his day job at City Hall.
On the stump, Blakeman has at times sounded as if he’s running against Mamdani and Hochul.
In effect, he is.
As I watched him shred Hochul’s tenure, I remembered a social event several weeks ago where a Democratic official asked me how large I thought Hochul’s margin of victory would be.
Not eager for a political conversation and because I had no ready answer to the loaded question, I repeated what the polls had been saying — Hochul would probably win by between six and 10 points.
My inquisitor looked at me, shook her head no, and simply said, “More than 10.”
I was disappointed, but had to admit she was probably right.
In most years, that range for a Democratic victory would be a safe bet because New York is such a deep blue state.
Of the 12 million registered voters, 48 percent are Dems, while only 23 percent are Republicans.
Even independents score more than that, making up 25 percent of the total.
Those numbers highlight what an uphill battle a Republican faces in a statewide contest, especially when, as in the current case, the Democrat enjoys the advantages incumbency brings.
The bitter truth is that no Republican has won a statewide race since 2002, when George Pataki secured his third term as governor.
Those realities were top of mind as I watched Tuesday’s debate.
Because it’s the only one scheduled, Blakeman needed a knockout to have an even chance of winning next month.
He didn’t come close to having the good luck Trump had when Joe Biden mumbled and stumbled his way out of the first debate of the 2024 presidential race, and soon out of the campaign itself.
Still, Blakeman’s debate performance was very crisp and strong, and if the audience was large enough, it could make a huge difference in the final weeks.
He ought to demand a second debate.
It’s likely Hochul would say no, but that would be a point he could make to voters as part of his closing argument.