Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman rode the New York City subway system on Monday to criticize Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over commuter safety, calling Hochul “the most pro-criminal governor” in the country.
“I have not heard from one person, and from all the people, that it’s safer on the subways and public transportation in New York,” Blakeman said while riding the subway. “I’ve heard just the opposite. Everybody says they feel less safe. So we want them to feel safe.”
Blakeman, the Nassau County executive and a former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioner, campaigned Monday in New York City as part of his run for governor.
“Hire more police officers, hire more conductors, clean up our subways and get help for those who are emotionally ill — get them help that they need; not have them roam around our subways,” Blakeman told reporters during the ride.
“The crime in the subways has gone up tremendously under Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani,” he said. “They are not committed to public safety. I will be committed to public safety. I will make sure that our public transportation is safer and cleaner for the traveling public.”
Blakeman also took aim at congestion pricing, the toll program charging drivers entering parts of Manhattan. “That’s how you get more people back in public transportation, not by putting a tax on them with congestion pricing, which is nothing more than a tax on the middle class,” he said.
Conductors and staffing
Blakeman criticized Hochul for reducing the number of conductors on trains and subways, and said increasing police patrols and improving lighting in dimly lit stations were among his priorities, along with putting more conductors back on trains.
“Police are very important, but I think people feel very comfortable and very safe when they see a conductor,” Blakeman said. “I want to increase the numbers so that people feel safe.”
The comments come after Hochul vetoed Albany legislation on Dec. 5, 2025, that would have required at least two-person crews — an operator and a conductor — on more subway trains. The bill had passed the state Legislature in June 2025. Hochul argued the measure would restrict MTA modernization efforts and cost up to $10 million annually, leaving the MTA’s one-person train operation program in place.
Criminal justice policies
Blakeman went on to call Hochul “the most pro-criminal governor in the United States of America,” pointing to a list of criminal-justice and immigration policies he said have made New Yorkers less safe.
“Whether it’s cashless bail, Raise the Age, the HALT Act, Clean Slate, or refusing to cooperate with ICE and federal agents, she has made us less safe,” Blakeman said.
Cashless bail limits when judges can require defendants to post money for release. Raise the Age generally keeps 16- and 17-year-olds out of adult criminal court. The HALT Act limits solitary confinement and changes prison disciplinary practices. The Clean Slate law seals certain criminal convictions from public view after a designated waiting period.
“People feel less safe in every community that I go to in New York State,” Blakeman said.
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