Bruce Blakeman secures correction officers union endorsement

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman has received the endorsement of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA). During a press conference in Albany, Blakeman pledged to ease restrictions on solitary confinement, specifically targeting the rollback of the HALT Act provisions.

NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers stated that the union's members voted overwhelmingly, 1,380 to 78, to support Blakeman over incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul. The union cited an ongoing crisis in state prisons, including understaffing and escalating violence, as the primary reason for the shift in support.

Blakeman, currently the Nassau County executive, also expressed support for increasing pay for correction officers and vowed not to close any more prisons, addressing previous facility closures under the Hochul administration.