Actress Debra Messing, longtime Democratic donor and devoted Hillary Clinton booster, has endorsed Republican Bruce Blakeman for governor of New York. She showed up to a Manhattan fundraiser Thursday and told the Nassau County executive he is “what we need more than anything.” That’s quite a plot twist for a woman who once campaigned for Cynthia Nixon.
Messing, best known for the NBC series “Will & Grace,” made her remarks at an event hosted by dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot, according to the New York Post. She also appears in a campaign video with Blakeman. For someone who backed Hillary Clinton’s presidential run and Nixon’s 2018 gubernatorial bid, this is not exactly a casual stroll to the right.
So what changed? New York City happened. Messing said the city has declined sharply over the past four years, economically, socially, and “on every level,” and that businesses and residents have packed up and left. “Not the city I love anymore,” she said. She pointed specifically to the $9 congestion pricing toll as proof that living in New York has just gotten too expensive. Hard to argue with that one. Debra Messing’s endorsement of Blakeman
“I believe in all my heart that you are the answer,” Messing told Blakeman, calling him the candidate focused on affordability and saying residents need relief on utility costs. Blakeman has pledged to eliminate state income tax on the first $50,000 of income for single filers and the first $100,000 for married couples. He notes that average income for married couples is under $100,000 in 45 of the state’s 62 counties. That’s a real number that hits real people.
Messing, a Brooklyn native and NYU graduate who is Jewish, has also been outspoken since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. She has posted information about hostages and urged people not to tear down the signs. She endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his unsuccessful mayoral run against Zohran Mamdani, whom she called an “American-hating jihadist.” Blakeman, a strong supporter of Israel, thanked her for speaking out and called her iconic, saying she’s trying to keep New York safe for Jewish residents.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s campaign, naturally, was not moved. Spokesman Ryan Radulovacki said New Yorkers in all 62 counties, with an average online donation of $22.38, are standing with Hochul as she works to lower costs for housing, child care, and car insurance. He called Blakeman a “MAGA all the way” opponent who would let Trump “attack New York, jack up prices, and threaten public safety.” Twenty-two dollars and thirty-eight cents. They really led with that number. Bold strategy.
Blakeman is the Republican nominee challenging Hochul in November. If a “Will & Grace” star endorsing a Republican isn’t a sign of where New York voters’ heads are at, it’s at least a sign of where their wallets are. Drop a comment below and let us know what you think.
