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Blakeman’s GOP bona fides: Candidate for governor has investments in Israel, Exxon
By
Jimmy Vielkind
and
Rhiannon Rashidi
Published Apr 28, 2026
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By
Jimmy Vielkind
and
Rhiannon Rashidi
Published Apr 28, 2026
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Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican candidate for governor, reported income in 2025 from Israeli bonds and shares of ExxonMobil, his federal tax returns show.
Blakeman and his wife Segal reported $673,476 of income. Most of it came from wages – Bruce Blakeman earned around $236,000 from his elected role, a seat he first won in 2021. Segal Blakeman made around $198,000 as a family court judge.
The couple also reported more than $100,000 in capital gains from the sale of various stocks. Blakeman campaign spokesperson Madison Spanodemos declined to provide details on what securities the Blakemans sold.
The candidate said on a separately filed disclosure form that he has stakes in several companies, including General Electric, TD Bank, Caterpillar and Boeing.
The filings provide the most detailed picture to date of the candidate’s financial life, and come at a time when fewer officials are disclosing their tax returns as they seek higher office. No law requires top officials or candidates to disclose their tax returns, but New York governors and their challengers have for decades made them available for inspection by the press.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat running for a second full term, and her husband Bill reported $1.86 million of income for last year. Hochul made her returns available for two hours at both her New York City and Albany office suites. The Blakeman campaign allowed reporters 30 minutes to view his returns at a campaign office located in a strip mall in Franklin Square.
Hochul’s return showed that she is now a resident of New York City, at least for tax purposes. Blakeman’s returns offer fewer details about his life; he didn’t itemize his deductions, and so didn’t write off any property taxes or charitable donations. He took a standard deduction of $33,100, an amount which increased under the federal tax and spending bill signed last year by President Donald Trump.
“I don’t list all of my charitable contributions, and I have recently made substantial contributions to charity, but in the last year with three grandchildren under the age of 3 my focus has been helping my kids,” Blakeman said in a statement.
The Hochuls donated $78,686 to charities in 2025, down from nearly $88,000 in 2024. The charitable contributions declined while their income increased.
Blakeman’s returns show that the candidate, who will turn 71 in October, collected $10,120 in Social Security benefits. The return shows the Blakemans made $10,101 in interest from an account at Bank of America and $3,784 on bonds issued by the State of Israel.
Blakeman is Jewish and has said New York should formally adopt a stricter definition of antisemitism. The returns indicate the Blakemans also hold U.S. government bonds as well as bonds issued by municipal entities in New York.
The Blakemans also reported more than $50,000 of dividend income, including $3,400 from energy company ExxonMobil. The disclosure form shows the candidate holds between $5,000 and $20,000 worth of the company’s stock.
Blakeman has said the state needs to pursue an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes natural gas hydrofracking. He has also opposed offshore wind developments bordering Long Island.
Tagged
Bruce Blakeman
Kathy Hochul
governor's race
new york state
taxes
Jimmy Vielkind
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected].
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Rhiannon Rashidi
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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