Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is betting that tax cuts and property-rights promises can carry him past Governor Kathy Hochul in November, unveiling a new platform Friday that takes aim at New York City’s pied-à-terre tax, a stalled property-sale law, and the city’s specialized high school admissions system. Blakeman called it the “Protect the New York Dream” initiative, framing it as a direct answer to what he describes as a wave of socialist policies emanating from Albany and City Hall.
The rollout, reported by the New York Post, lands just a day after President Donald Trump appeared alongside Blakeman at the Mack Center in Garden City, where Trump praised the Nassau executive’s public safety record and his cooperation with federal immigration officials, according to CBS News. Democratic opponents held a counter-rally outside the venue during Trump’s visit. The timing places Blakeman’s economic pitch squarely on the heels of a high-profile show of national GOP support, even as his campaign works to keep the race focused on affordability rather than his ties to the president.
Tax Cuts Aimed At the Middle Class
At the center of Blakeman’s platform is a promise to eliminate state income tax on the first $50,000 earned annually by single filers and the first $100,000 earned by joint filers, per the New York Post. He is also pledging an across-the-board 10 percent income-tax cut for New Yorkers earning under $250,000. Under current law, the state taxes personal income across nine brackets ranging from 3.90 percent to 10.90 percent, with single filers earning up to $50,000 paying rates between 3.90 percent and 5.50 percent, according to Teamed Global.
Blakeman has pledged to deliver what he calls historic financial relief within his first 100 days in office if elected. He argues that progressive local agendas are pushing businesses and taxpayers to relocate to Florida, a claim he has made repeatedly on the campaign trail. Hochul’s campaign, meanwhile, points to her own record of cutting middle-class taxes to historic lows and trimming red tape to lower housing costs, according to the same Post report.
Targeting the Pied-à-Terre Tax and COPA
Blakeman’s agenda also takes direct aim at New York City’s new pied-à-terre tax, an annual surcharge on non-primary city residences valued at $5 million or more that took effect July 1 and is projected to generate $500 million a year, per the New York State FY2027 budget agreement detailed by Reed Corporation. Per the Post, Blakeman contends Hochul offered little to no opposition to the tax, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani championed it…