{"id":2647987,"date":"2026-08-21T18:18:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T22:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/knicks-owner-shifts-from-hochul-support-to-bankroll-bruce-blakeman-for-governor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T18:20:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T22:20:31","slug":"knicks-owner-shifts-from-hochul-support-to-bankroll-bruce-blakeman-for-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/knicks-owner-shifts-from-hochul-support-to-bankroll-bruce-blakeman-for-governor\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks owner shifts from Hochul support to bankroll Bruce Blakeman for governor"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fknicks-owner-shifts-from-hochul-support-to-bankroll-bruce-blakeman-for-governor%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2647987&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>James Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports, has shifted his political support from Governor Kathy Hochul to GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce blakeman in New York. After years of donating to Hochul, Dolan and his family have contributed approximately $1.4 million to Blakeman\u2019s campaign, a notable change from his previous support for Hochul\u2019s 2022 campaign. Dolan\u2019s support for the candidates aligns with his broader involvement in New York politics, including hosting Donald Trump and supporting his campaigns. While Dolan states that his company backs candidates interested in helping all New Yorkers, his shift reflects ongoing political realignments within the state. Hochul\u2019s campaign remains strong, with her lead in recent polls, but the race is closely watched as Blakeman aims to challenge her in the upcoming November election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The owner of the New York Knicks, who hosted both President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"61\">New York<\/a> GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman in his box during the Knicks\u2019 championship run, has shifted his pocket behind Blakeman in the New York governor race after years of donating to Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kathy-hochul\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3278\">Kathy Hochul<\/a> (D-NY).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new report from <em>Politico<\/em> detailed Knicks owner and Madison Square Garden Sports CEO James Dolan\u2019s shift from supporting Hochul\u2019s campaigning in the past to bankrolling Blakeman. The outlet detailed that Dolan, along with his business and family members, has given about $1.4 million to Blakeman\u2019s campaign to oust Hochul this year, four years after he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cityandstateny.com\/politics\/2022\/06\/knicks-owner-james-dolans-super-pac-spending-assembly-primaries\/368715\/\">supported<\/a> Hochul\u2019s 2022 campaign.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4696497\/knicks-owner-shift-bruce-blakeman\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Knicks owner shifts to bankroll Bruce Blakeman for NY governor after previous support for Hochul<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/4696212\/joe-concha-slams-seattle-times-rejecting-column-sophie-cunningham\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Pure censorship\u2019: Joe Concha slams Seattle Times for rejecting column on WNBA\u2019s Sophie Cunningham<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/sports\/4693442\/fans-fast-cars-freedom-250-sponsors-behind-dc-grand-prix\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Fans, fast cars, and Freedom 250: The sponsors behind the DC Grand Prix<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesperson for Dolan\u2019s company, MSG Entertainment, told the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/08\/20\/knicks-owner-bankrolled-hochul-for-years-now-hes-the-gops-biggest-donor-in-new-york-01044964\">outlet<\/a> that the company backs \u201ccandidates that are interested in helping all New Yorkers,\u201d adding that \u201cthat cannot be done in a failing economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dolan and Trump have a long relationship, with the Knicks owner making several <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/donald-trump-james-dolan-relationship-152443033.html\">contributions<\/a> to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york-city\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"286\">New York City<\/a> businessman-turned-president\u2019s political campaigns. Dolan also permitted Trump to hold a massive pre-election rally in Madison Square Garden ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Dolan, who has in the past given largely to New York state Democrats, including Hochul, sat with both Trump and Blakeman in his MSG box back in June when the Knicks played the San Antonio Spurs. Trump endorsed Blakeman for governor in December 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A fixture of the New York City business community, Dolan has given to members of both political parties in his time in the spotlight. The outlet quoted President of Partnership for NYC Steve Fulop, a Hochul ally, who argued that \u201cthe business community is obviously not monolithic, but I\u2019d say the majority of the prominent leaders in the business community are supporters of Governor\u00a0Hochul.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hochul\u2019s office emphasized the broadness of her campaign\u2019s base of support in New York.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re proud that New Yorkers from across all 62 counties, with an average online donation of twenty bucks, are standing with Governor Hochul in her fight to bring down the cost of housing, childcare, car insurance and more, and stop her \u2018MAGA all the way\u2019 opponent from letting Donald Trump attack New York, jack up prices, and threaten public safety,\u201d a spokesman for Hochul told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dolan\u2019s move to support Trump-backed Blakeman also comes as Trump\u2019s plans to renovate Penn Station spared any changes to Madison Square Garden, which sits atop Penn Station. The move also comes after Hochul endorsed socialist New York City Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11802\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a> in his 2025 candidacy, as Mamdani has made many in the Big Apple\u2019s financial and business sectors worried about the impacts of his socialist policies on business.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4687212\/bruce-blakeman-trump-centrist-new-york-governor\/\">BRUCE BLAKEMAN JUGGLES TRUMP ALLIANCE WITH CROSSOVER APPEAL IN NEW YORK GOVERNOR\u2019S RACE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hochul and Blakeman, the current Nassau County executive, are set to face off in the November general election, with Hochul leading by double digits in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4684196\/hochul-blakeman-poll-new-york\/\">most recent polling<\/a> on the matchup. The Cook Political Report <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/governor\/race\/479561\">lists<\/a> the race as a solid Democratic seat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>has reached out to the Blakeman campaign for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Knicks owner shifts support from Hochul to Blakeman in NY governor race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2647988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26160067876282.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[84514,84515,11181,42863,84513],"class_list":["post-2647987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-bruceblakeman","tag-governorrace","tag-knicks","tag-newyorkpolitics","tag-politicalshift"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26160067876282.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2647987"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647990,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647987\/revisions\/2647990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2647988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2647987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2647987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2647987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}