SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Thousands of rallygoers queued in a parking lot in downtown Syracuse, arriving hours before the president’s visit. Amid swaths of MAGA merchandise, T-shirts reading “Ditch the Witch” under illustrations of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul dotted the crowd of supporters.
President Donald Trump is taking a break from his midterm blitz of campaign rallies in Republican-leaning states to appear alongside the GOP nominee for governor there, Bruce Blakeman.
Blakeman, the Nassau county executive and an old friend from the president’s days as a real estate developer, faces an uphill battle to unseat Hochul (D) and become the first Republican elected as New York’s governor since 2004. According to a recent Marist Poll, the incumbent holds an 11-point lead among registered voters.
While Blakeman may hope that the president can boost support in conservative-leaning Upstate counties, others worry that the visit could harm, rather than help, the Republican nominee’s campaign and question why, in an election year in which so many red-state Republicans struggle to shore up support, Trump has decided to visit the Democratic stronghold.
“The simple truth is that if this race is about Trump, Blakeman not only loses, he gets his ass kicked,” Bob Lonsberry, a conservative radio host and New Yorker, wrote on X.
The post, which begged Trump to “stay away,” suggested that “presidential ego” was the reason for the visit.
But outside the Oncenter in central Syracuse, there was plenty of enthusiasm.
“It just shows what type of person Trump is: No matter how far behind someone is in the polls, he wants to give them a chance,” said Jordan Shae, 28, who wore a pair of official Trump-branded golden sneakers.
He hopes Trump’s visit will galvanize turnout in Upstate New York but is unsure if Blakeman can win the governor’s race.
“I wish they would make New York City its own thing. Make it a district, like Washington, D.C.,” Shae said.
The unpopularity of the war with Iran, the surge in gasoline prices and the trade war with Canada have hurt Trump’s standing in Upstate New York. Hochul has sought to use this to her advantage, tying Blakeman to Trump’s economic policies and labeling him “Trump’s puppet.”
Trump has dismissed polls that indicate trouble for Republican candidates, telling supporters at his campaign rallies to vote as if he were on the ballot.
But Kyle Woods, a Blakeman supporter and recent college graduate, said he was concerned that Trump’s presence could drive away moderate voters.
“As much as I like the president, you need to be viewed as a moderate to win New York,” said Woods, 22.
“If I had to guess, Blakeman probably doesn’t want the president here to campaign for him,” Woods said.
Still, even as some Republican candidates seek to distance themselves from Trump, Blakeman has embraced him.
“I want to hear Trump say, ‘Kathy Hochul, you’re fired,’” said Mary Martin, 27.
She brought her sister, a Democrat, to the rally, saying they were united by their dislike of Hochul.
Martin said she was unsure whether the president’s campaigning in New York would help Blakeman but added, “If Trump thinks it’s important to be in New York, then I trust his judgment.”
Trump is due to speak at 7 p.m. at the Oncenter, which accommodates 7,000 attendees.
Outside the venue’s secure perimeter, protest groups gathered. An anti-Trump rally, organized by Indivisible Onondaga County and CNY Solidarity Coalition, was held in nearby Franklin Square. Closer, a handful of antiabortion campaigners protested Blakeman’s self-described “pro-choice” stance and Trump’s endorsement of him for governor.
Luke Tausch, 21, who was standing in line to hear the president speak, wore a white and pink shirt that read “Daddy’s Home” over an image of Trump and the White House. In a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1, Tausch remained a staunch supporter.
“It’s a bad argument to have,” said Tausch of the criticism that Trump’s time on the campaign trail might have been better spent galvanizing the base in a red state.
“If you think anywhere is unsavable, then the Democrats will take over everywhere,” he said.
The post The midterms are getting close. Why is Trump in Upstate New York? appeared first on Washington Post.
