GOP hopeful Bruce Blakeman defends Buffalo Bills loyalty as Hochul blasts him as ‘new fan’

ALBANY — Who do you Bill-eve?

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman insisted Tuesday he’s a longtime supporter of the Buffalo Bills after Gov. Kathy Hochul apparently labeled him a “new fan” of the western New York team.

“I went to a Bills game last week,” the Nassau County executive said, in an apparent reference to the team’s final home game at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 4.

“The governor saw me in a Bills golf shirt and said that I was a new Bills fan, when actually my son gave me that shirt for Father’s Day about 12 to 15 years ago because I was upset that the [New York] Jets left Long Island and went to New Jersey,” he said about Gang Green no longer using Hofstra University’s football facility for practice in 2008.

“So I’ve been a Bills fan for a long time,” he added.

During the game, Blakeman posed for a photo with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Dunn and her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes.

But the Long Island pol, who’s attempting to make inroads in upstate New York voters, fumbled part of his answer when he listed his favorite Buffalo gridiron stars – and inadvertently dropped the name of a New York Yankees legendary catcher.

“My favorite player is Bruce Smith, for obvious reasons, we’re both Bruce, but you can talk about Thurman Munson, Andre Reed, Jim Kelly, and you go back even to Jack Kemp,” he said before a reporter with the Buffalo News mentioned Munson was a former Yanks great.

“I mean, I meant … Thurman Thomas,” he said in reference to the former Bills running back. “But Thurman Munson was my favorite Yankee, so that’s probably why I thought of him.”

The governor’s office and her campaign did not immediately return a request for comment on Blakeman’s remarks.

Hochul, who is a Buffalo native, hasn’t been shy about her loyalty to the Bills Mafia.

She’s known to attend games and cheer on social media after the Bills clinch victory, including the team’s dramatic 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL’s Wild Card round on Saturday.

“What a game. Let’s go Buff-a-lo!” she wrote on her personal X account.

She even repeatedly mentioned the Bills during her State of the State address Tuesday and walked off the stage with a team hat on and a photo of star quarterback Josh Allen on the large screen as the Bills “Shout” song blared. 

Her press office on its X account even photoshopped a picture of her diving onto folding table — a longtime ritual for the Bills faithful.

She told Politico if the Bills win the Super Bowl, she might actually do it for real.

“I’d have to rethink that one, but I’ll do my best. If they win the Super Bowl, I’ll do anything,” she said.

Hochul has faced heat for doling out taxpayer funds to help finance the new Bills stadium that will open for the 2026 season.

She agreed to fork over roughly $600 million in state funds in 2022 with Erie County leaders kicking in another $250 million for the privately owned stadium after the Bills’ ownership threatened to leave western New York.

Despite the backlash, Blakeman sat out that pile-on, stating he was generally supportive of using state funds to finance the new stadium.

“I think that there is a role for the state in economic development, and I think there’s a role for public and private partnerships,” he said.

“And I think that eventually having the Bills stay in Buffalo rather than move to another city would have a positive economic benefit.”