Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, accused a Jewish politician of being disloyal to his faith, suggesting that he would have assisted Nazis if given the opportunity.
Appearing on Newsmax on Wednesday, Mr. Blakeman, who is also Jewish, called Brad Lander — the former New York City comptroller who defeated Representative Dan Goldman in a Democratic primary this week — “a disgrace.”
“He’s anti-American, he is antisemitic, even though he’s Jewish,” Mr. Blakeman added. “This guy would be a camp guard in a concentration camp if he could. He’s a disaster. He’s terrible.”
Mr. Blakeman’s comments appeared to allude to people, often Jews themselves, who collaborated with Nazi death camp guards during World War II.
In responding to Mr. Blakeman on Thursday, Mr. Lander called on voters to “resoundingly reject Blakeman’s far-right MAGA bigotry this November.”
“I don’t know where Bruce Blakeman went to Hebrew school, but I was taught that ‘never again’ means never again to anyone,” he said in a statement, noting that his son was named after one of the leaders of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. “Standing up for Palestinian human rights doesn’t make me any less proud to be Jewish, or any less serious about fighting antisemitism.”
Mr. Lander’s convincing victory over Mr. Goldman took place in New York’s 10th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan and is one of the most Jewish districts in America. The race centered heavily on the candidates’ disagreement over the United States’ policy concerning Israel’s war in Gaza.
Though both politicians had been critics of Israel’s government, Mr. Lander, who has deep roots in the district, asserted that he would be “one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up for Palestinian human rights.” He also made clear he would show no tolerance for antisemitism.
Ms. Hochul, who had endorsed Mr. Lander’s opponent in the primary, also castigated Mr. Blakeman, calling his comments “despicable.” Recent public surveys of voters, including one that was released on Thursday, show her leading Mr. Blakeman by double-digit margins.
“He’s not focused on what helps New Yorkers,” she told reporters. “He is focused on division. He wants to separate us.”
When asked on Thursday about Mr. Lander’s comments, Mr. Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, broadly stood by his comments.
“Maybe camp guard was too strong, but certainly collaborator,” Mr. Blakeman said in a written statement.
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