Vote Like Your Life Depends on it. Because it Does

In 2022, William Floyd High School graduate Lee Zeldin came within six percentage points of defeating Kathy Hochul in the closest New York gubernatorial election in nearly three decades.

You just felt a big buzz and excitement surrounding the now EPA Administrator's quest to defeat the incumbent Governor. There were packed rallies with tens of thousands of people. Folks legit believed that was "the year" a Republican would return to the second floor of the State Capitol, the first since George Pataki.

For Republicans, it was a breakthrough. For Democrats, a warning.

Four years later, New Yorkers face another consequential decision: Give the Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul a second full term or elect Bruce Blakeman, the Executive in charge of neighboring Nassau County.

This time, voters have four years of the train wreck known as the Hochul administration. And the numbers raise serious questions about New York's affordability and economic future.

Let's start with your high taxes in Suffolk County.

The Tax Foundation ranked New York dead last, 50th, in its 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index. Its earlier tax-burden analysis found your family paid the nation's highest combined state and local tax burden.

For families struggling with property taxes, utility bills, groceries and housing costs, these figures are hardly academic.

Then consider the exodus.

According to IRS migration data analyzed by the Tax Foundation, New York suffered a net loss of 71,987 income-tax filers to other states between 2022 and 2023.

Long Island was particularly hard hit. Suffolk County lost a net 10,434 tax filers to other states. Nassau County lost another 9,130.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli confirms that New York has experienced net outmigration of resident tax filers every year since 2015. Keep in mind, Dinapoli is a Democrat running on the same statewide ticket as Hochul.

Businesses face similar pressures. High taxes, regulatory costs and expensive energy complicate decisions about hiring, expanding and remaining in New York. The state's last-place tax competitiveness ranking underscores those challenges.

And then there's billions spent on illegal immigrants. Smartly, Bruce Blakeman mentions this on the campaign trail all the time: Kathy Hochul treats illegal immigrants better than you.

Don't ever forget, Hochul's very first Executive Order was cementing New York State as a Sanctuary State. Not cutting taxes. Not cutting bureaucratic red tape.

She put the "Welcome to New York" sign out for illegal immigrants, then forced your family to pay the bill for them to come here, stay here, and live higher on the hog than you.

But I digress, let's go back to cold, hard facts.

The New York City Comptroller reports that city and state spending on asylum-seeker shelter and services totaled approximately $8.25 billion during fiscal years 2023 through 2025.

In 2022, William Floyd grad Zeldin demonstrated how competitive a New York governor's race could become. In 2026, voters have a fuller record against which to measure promises and especially hold Hochul accountable.

Every election brings promises. This one brings an opportunity to measure those promises against actual results, household budgets and the experiences of New Yorkers themselves.

This election will determine the direction of state government for another four years.

New York's future is on the ballot. We came so close in 2022. Six percentage points.

This is the most consequential election in New York's history. Your vote can be the one that fires Kathy Hochul and hires Bruce Blakeman. This is it. This is our last shot.

The outcome is prosperity or peril. That future, is now in your hands. Vote accordingly.