Top Democratic Donor Drops Incumbent For GOP Opponent
Republican Bruce Blakeman has picked up support from an unexpected corner as he tries to unseat Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul: a longtime Democratic donor with ties to one of the party's best-known former senators.
Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, the widow of former Democratic New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, is supporting Blakeman and plans to hold a fundraiser for his gubernatorial campaign, according to the New York Post.
The move is notable given Lautenberg's history of contributing to Democrats. As recently as July 2025, she donated $1,000 to Hochul's re-election campaign.
Now she's crossing party lines.
“It’s the talk of the Hamptons,” one Democrat told the Post. “It’s a good get for Bruce.”
Lautenberg, a 79-year-old philanthropist, confirmed her support while pointing to her personal relationship with the Republican candidate.
“Bruce is a longtime friend and neighbor. He’s a great guy,” she said.
Blakeman welcomed the endorsement.
“I am honored to have the support of Bonnie Lautenberg in my campaign for governor,” he said.
The development comes at an interesting moment in the race. A new Siena poll shows Hochul still ahead, but by substantially less than she was earlier this summer.
Bruce Blakeman could unseat Hochul and turn New York red, stunning poll reveals https://t.co/jkedwj5AcV pic.twitter.com/SPbqZv1vD7
— New York Post (@nypost) August 12, 2026
Among likely voters, Hochul leads Blakeman 49 percent to 39 percent. The survey included 811 respondents and had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.
In June, Siena found Hochul leading 52 percent to 32 percent among registered voters.
“With less than three months till Election Day, Hochul holds a 10-point lead over Blakeman, 49-39%, not crossing the magic 50% mark,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.
Greenberg also offered a comparison with Hochul's 2022 campaign against Republican Lee Zeldin. At roughly the same point four years ago, Hochul held a 14-point advantage, 53 percent to 39 percent. She ultimately defeated Zeldin by six points, 53 percent to 47 percent.
The latest numbers show a race sharply divided along familiar partisan and geographic lines.
Hochul leads among Democrats 80 percent to 8 percent, while Blakeman leads Republicans 84 percent to 9 percent. Blakeman also holds a narrower advantage among likely independent voters, 45 percent to 40 percent.
Geography tells another part of the story.
Hochul has a substantial advantage in New York City, leading Blakeman 64 percent to 19 percent. Blakeman, meanwhile, leads in the downstate suburbs by eight points, 49 percent to 41 percent. Siena found the two candidates running nearly even upstate.
Hochul also holds large leads among women, Latino voters and Black voters, while the candidates are essentially tied among men and white voters.
The governor's personal ratings present another challenge. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed viewed Hochul unfavorably, compared with 46 percent who viewed her favorably.
Blakeman remains considerably less familiar to voters statewide. Thirty-three percent viewed him favorably and 26 percent unfavorably, while 40 percent said they did not know enough about him to offer an opinion.
The issue numbers are mixed as well.
According to Greenberg, voters gave Hochul a 16-point advantage over Blakeman when asked who would do a better job increasing affordable housing. Her advantages on affordability, energy, safety and immigration, however, ranged from just one to seven points.
Blakeman appears to have an opening among independents when voters are asked about personal characteristics.
“While independents give Hochul negative ratings on all four traits, they overwhelmingly say Blakeman is tough and also say he gets things done,” Greenberg said.
None of that erases Hochul's 10-point advantage. But the combination of a narrowing polling margin, Blakeman's strength with Republicans and independents, and Lautenberg's decision to cross party lines gives the Republican campaign something it didn't have earlier in the race.