The Whitestone Republican Club drew a packed standing-room-only crowd on Wednesday, March 11, as local activists and candidates packed the American Legion hall, located at 10-20 Clintonville St., for a high-energy meeting focused on the 2026 elections, public safety and the future political direction of New York.
Headlining the evening was Nassau County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, who delivered a forceful address centered on crime, taxes and energy policy. Blakeman, joined by his lieutenant governor running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, emphasized a law-and-order platform and a statewide coalition bridging New York City and upstate voters.
“We are going to be a team that backs the blue,” Blakeman told the crowd, drawing applause. “When I become governor… we are no longer a sanctuary state.” He also took aim at rising utility costs, arguing that “one third of your bill goes for energy… two-thirds goes for taxes… and green energy mandates,” pledging to “cut electric bills in half.”
Hood, a longtime law enforcement official, echoed the campaign’s public safety message and urged grassroots involvement.
“We have the momentum. We are motivated,” he said. “When you go vote in November, bring 10 or 15 of your friends with you.”
Hood was born in Oneida, New York, and has been a Madison County resident his entire life, and is part of Blakeman’s law and order platform to solidify the upstate vote.
The event, hosted by Queens Council Member Vickie Paladino, also featured a slate of Republican and conservative candidates from across the region, including Dr. Phil Wang (SD 16), Kenneth Paek (AD 25), Brandon Castro (AD 30), Pamela Michos (SD 11) and congressional hopeful Diamant Hysenaj (CD14), who is mounting a challenge to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Paladino, known for her combative political style, delivered one of the night’s most impassioned speeches, urging attendees to take an active role in upcoming elections.
As she introduced Blakeman, she imparted one key takeaway: “We must elect Bruce Blakeman as the next governor or we lose New York.”
Later, taking questions from the attendees, she pushed back on one of the questioners, “Instead of asking what a candidate is going to do to get elected, look in the mirror and ask what you are going to do,” she said. “Get involved. Volunteer. Donate. That’s how you win.”
She also addressed her ongoing legal and political battle with the New York City Council, confirming her court appearance scheduled for April 7 in Manhattan. “I am suing the City Council,” Paladino said. “I will not be silenced. I will continue to fight and represent my constituents.”
Paladino encouraged supporters to attend the hearing and organize in her defense, calling on supporters to join her at the courthouse. She feels she is being unfairly targeted because she is an effective communicator and fighter in the media and in the legislature as part of the Republican minority. As her club’s theme song goes, “I won’t back down.”
She is receiving support from many of her colleagues and constituents, and feels vindicated by some of the recent alleged terrorist ISIS-inspired attacks in the last two weeks all over the country, including the hurling of an improvised explosive device (IED) at a recent protest near Gracie Mansion in New York City. Thankfully, the bomb did not detonate, as law enforcement experts say it would have caused mass injury and death.
Paladino is currently facing an ethics probe over past controversial social media posts that some have labeled Islamophobic. The City Council’s ethics committee has charged her with disorderly conduct and violations of internal anti-discrimination policies, where potential penalties range from censure to expulsion.
The meeting’s final speaker, Zilvinas Silenas, President and CEO of Empire Center for Public Policy, focused on economic and policy issues, particularly energy and taxation. He warned of what he described as a “self-imposed energy crisis” driven by state climate policies and over taxation. His mission statement: “Perhaps this is the end of the beginning of really bad ideas dominating New York.”
“In New York, you’re paying about 27 cents per kilowatt hour. In Pennsylvania, it’s 20. In Florida, it’s 14,” Silenas said. “If policies don’t change, $6 gas will be the least of our problems.” Blakeman vowed that if elected, he would cut New Yorkers’ energy bills in half.
Throughout the evening, speakers repeatedly stressed unity across party lines and the importance of voter engagement. “This is not a party race. This is a race based on policy,” Paladino said. “Everything hangs in the balance.”
The Whitestone Republican Club meets on the second Wednesday of each month and has become an increasingly active hub for local politically active citizens organizing ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
