Bruce Arthur Blakeman (born October 2, 1955) is an American attorney and politician currently serving as the 10th county executive of Nassau County, New York. A Republican, Blakeman was first elected in 2021, defeating Democratic incumbent Laura Curran and becoming the county's first Jewish county executive. He previously served as a commissioner for the New York-New Jersey Port Authority, as well as a Nassau County legislator and Hempstead town councilman. He is the Republican nominee in the 2026 New York gubernatorial election.
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Early life and education
Blakeman, a native of Nassau County, was born in Valley Stream, New York. Blakeman's father was Assemblyman Robert M. Blakeman. His mother, Betty, served in the Women's Army Corps and his father was a merchant mariner and later Naval Reserve officer. His brother, Brad Blakeman, served on the staff of President George W. Bush.
Blakeman attended Valley Stream Central High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and government from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor from the California Western School of Law. During school, he worked on Republican political campaigns and, for a time, was a driver for former First Lady Nancy Reagan. Blakeman also holds a certificate in homeland security management from Long Island University.
Career
After passing the bar examination, Blakeman worked as a partner at his father's law firm.
In 1993, federal district court judge Arthur D. Spatt ruled Nassau County's Board of Supervisors to be in violation of one man, one vote. The Board of Supervisors authorized the creation of the Nassau County Legislature as a successor to their body. Elections were held in November 1995, and Blakeman, at the time a Hempstead town Councilman, was elected to the first legislative class to represent the 7th district. He was also elected the body's first presiding officer. The body took their seats on January 1, 1996.
In 1998, Blakeman was the Republican nominee for New York State Comptroller. He lost in the general election to incumbent Democrat Carl McCall by a wide margin.
During a particularly bad election year for Nassau County Republicans, Blakeman lost his seat in the Legislature in the election of November 1999 to Jeff Toback, and the Republicans lost the majority.
In June 2001, Blakeman was appointed by New York Governor George Pataki as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He held that position until 2009.
In 2007, as a member of the New York law firm Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Greenberg, Formato & Einige, Blakeman brokered the purchase of 52 acres of land in Melville by Canon USA for the construction of new headquarters. About 1,200 people worked at their old Lake Success offices at the time. Previous attempts to move their headquarters to Westbury and Brookville were unsuccessful, and Canon was expected to move out of state if the deal fell through. Long Island Business News reported that Blakeman received a "multimillion-dollar" commission for the sale.
In the 2010 special election, Blakeman ran for United States Senate, but lost the Republican primary to former congressman Joe DioGuardi; he contested the general election under the Tax Revolt party line. In 2014, Blakeman ran for the 4th congressional district, after incumbent Carolyn McCarthy announced her retirement. He won the Republican nomination, but was defeated 53% to 47% in the general election by Democrat Kathleen Rice.
Hempstead Town Councilman
Blakeman served on the Hempstead Town Council from 1993 to 1995.
In January 2015, Blakeman was appointed to the Hempstead Town Council, replacing James Darcy.
In 2017, Blakeman joined fellow Republican councilwoman Erin King-Sweeney in endorsing Democratic challenger Laura Gillen in the race for Hempstead Town Supervisor. Gillen, who ran against incumbent Town Supervisor Republican Anthony Santino, went on to win the election, becoming the first Democratic Hempstead Town Supervisor in over 100 years. Gillen named Blakeman Deputy Town Supervisor.
In 2019, Blakeman and King-Sweeney endorsed Republican Receiver of Taxes Donald X. Clavin Jr. against Democratic Town Supervisor Laura Gillen for Town Supervisor. Clavin went on to win against Gillen.
Blakeman was succeeded on the Hempstead town council by Republican Assemblywoman Melissa Miller.
Nassau County Executive
In March 2021, Blakeman was chosen by Nassau Republicans to run against incumbent Democratic Nassau county executive Laura Curran. In the 2021 election he won with 50.35% of the vote, which was considered surprising in a county with 100,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans.
In 2025, Blakeman was re-elected as Nassau county executive, defeating Democrat Seth Koslow. The victory came despite Democrats holding a 110,000-voter registration advantage over Republicans in the county.
Blakeman ran on a platform that highlighted public safety and fiscal responsibility. That message resonated with Independent voters, who favored Blakeman over his opponent by a roughly 2:1 margin.
On September 19, 2022, Blakeman introduced his annual budget proposal for the 2023 fiscal year. This proposal kept tax rates the same and added nearly 100 additional law enforcement positions.
On September 16, 2024, Blakeman signed the county's 2025 budget plan, totaling $4.2 billion. The budget maintains property taxes at the same level as the previous year, ensuring no increase for both 2024 and 2025. It includes provisions for 206 new hires, such as two police cadet classes and two correction officer classes. An additional $22 million has been allocated for early intervention and preschool services for children. The budget assumes no growth in sales tax revenue, which constitutes 45% of the county's total revenue.
Blakeman's salary in 2022 and 2023 was $211,821. In 2024, a cost-of-living adjustment increased that to $227,959.
During his campaign, Blakeman promised to fight the state's face mask mandate and vaccination mandate intended to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon taking office, he signed an executive order making masks optional, contravening the state mandate. On January 24 a New York Supreme Court justice in Nassau County declared the mandate unconstitutional under the state constitution, but an Appellate Division justice stayed the ruling the next day. In February the mask mandate was lifted in most circumstances, rendering the case moot.
Support for Donald Trump
In March 2024, Blakeman attended the wake of NYPD officer Jonathan Diller alongside Donald Trump and Eric Adams in Massapequa.
Blakeman held and attended a rally for Trump at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale during September 2024, prior to the elections in November.
On Monday, October 7, 2024, Trump visited the Ohel gravesite in Queens for the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks. Blakeman, Ben Shapiro, Lee Zeldin, and other political figures accompanied Trump.
2026 New York gubernatorial campaign
Following several visits to various areas of New York, Blakeman announced on December 9, 2025, that he was entering the race for governor in the 2026 election against incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul. In interviews following the announcement, he said he would be using his track record in Nassau County as a model for how he would handle crime and rising costs. After the unexpected exit of his challenger Elise Stefanik on December 20, 2025, President Donald Trump endorsed Blakeman.
During the campaign, Blakeman supported a strike by Long Island Rail Road workers.
Personal life
Blakeman married Segal Magori Blakeman in 2015. He was previously married to Nancy Shevell, who is now married to Paul McCartney of The Beatles. He has one son and two stepchildren. Blakeman is the first Jewish Nassau County executive. He is a member of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, a Modern Orthodox synagogue.
His nephew, New York State Court Officer Tommy Jurgens, was killed in the line of duty on 9/11 while assisting in the evacuation of Tower 2 of the World Trade Center. Blakeman provided a DNA sample to identify his nephew's remains.
