Blakeman promises to halve utility bills

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman promised to slash utility bills in half if elected, speaking at a Washington Heights press conference with former Governor George Pataki.

But offers no policy details

Blakeman has not offered a policy proposal on how he would achieve the cuts. His campaign would not clarify how exactly he plans to cut consumer utility costs.

Blakeman attacks Hochul's record

Blakeman claimed Kathy Hochul increased utility rates forty-eight times in four years. His campaign did not respond to requests for clarification about this claim.

“Kathy Hochul increased our utility rates 48 times in four years”

Hochul's campaign fires back

Hochul campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said Blakeman wants data centers raising costs and called him Donald Trump's puppet. She cited one billion dollars in energy relief delivered by Hochul.

“Donald Trump's puppet, Bruce Blakeman … wants data centers raising your costs”

Blakeman proposes legalizing fracking

The Nassau County executive said he would legalize fracking to help New Yorkers lower energy bills fast.

“I met with those same individuals and companies that are doing the extraction of natural gas in Pennsylvania. They told me they can be up and running in 60 days”

Fracking plan faces major obstacles

Fracking does not necessarily lead to lower utility bills. Blakeman would need buy-in from the state's Democratic-dominated Legislature to legalize it, which remains uncertain.

Pennsylvania comparison omits key detail

Blakeman pointed to Pennsylvania's lower electric bills as evidence fracking works, but neglected to mention Pennsylvania is not part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, known as RGGI.

Pataki created RGGI but questions its use

Former Governor George Pataki spearheaded creation of RGGI, the carbon trading program of eleven eastern states. At the press conference, Pataki said the concept is right but Albany uses it as a slush fund.

“The concept is right, but the way it's being done in Albany is wrong”

RGGI withdrawal would barely help

Even if New York withdrew from RGGI, the benefit would amount to a five to six percent decrease on an average residential household bill, according to National Grid. This barely dents Blakeman's fifty percent promise.

Unions launch super PAC for Hochul

A coalition of public employee unions launched the New York Accountability Coalition, receiving five hundred fifty thousand dollars from the Civil Service Employees Association, Public Employees Federation, District Council thirty-seven, and CWA District One to…

Super PAC pulls defamatory ad

The Invest In Tomorrow Coalition suspended distribution of an ad in the North Country House seat after Republican candidate Anthony Constantino's attorney complained it was defamatory. The ad accused Constantino of selling anti-police merchandise.

“What do Anthony Constantino and violent anti-cop extremists have in common? They both think 'kill the police' is a good slogan”

PAC doubles down with new spending

After suspending the ad, the Invest In Tomorrow Coalition announced it would spend two hundred fifty thousand dollars more behind the original ad buy to ensure all of New York twenty-one knows about Constantino's merchandise…

“Anthony Constantino may lawyer up, but he can't sticker over the truth: he's gotten rich off selling vile merch”