New Super PAC pledges millions to back Blakeman and attack Hochul's Democratic ties

A newly formed political action committee called Defend Empire State, launched by Jason Meister—a Trump ally who previously operated the Defend NYC PAC—has vowed to raise and spend unlimited sums to help Republican Bruce Blakeman win the New York governorship. Meister described Hochul as an "accidental governor" and intends to link her to Zohran Mamdani and a "radical Marxist, Jihadi wing" of the Democratic Party. He frames the race as part of a broader national struggle against what he calls Marxist influence spreading to other states.

The PAC can accept unlimited contributions, and past campaign filings show donors like hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman and Airbnb co-founder Joseph Gebbia have each given $1 million to his earlier efforts. Another pro-Blakeman Super PAC, Strong and Safe New York, funded by Knicks owner James Dolan, is already running a million-dollar ad push. Hochul’s campaign has responded with its own multi-million-dollar advertising, accusing Blakeman of being "100% MAGA" and pledging to keep Trump out of state leadership.