Libertarian New York gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe is entering the Republican primary for governor as the party largely circles around Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to be their preferred candidate to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in November.
Sharpe’s campaign sent an email on Tuesday urging New York residents who are currently registered with the Libertarian Party “and want a real choice in the Republican primary” to switch their party registration to Republican by Saturday, Feb. 14, which is the state deadline to change party registration in order to vote in the scheduled closed primary elections in June.
Sharpe has been criticizing Blakeman on X this week.
“While Bruce Blakeman chases headlines and plays the ‘Establishment’ game, I’m in the ring for the people. We don’t need another career politician; we need a system reboot. Let’s stop looking for a soundbite and start fighting for Liberty,” Sharpe wrote in one post on Tuesday.
Sharpe was the New York Libertarian Party candidate for governor in 2018 and 2022, however, he was denied a spot on the ballot in 2022 after the Libertarians, along with the Green Party, lost statewide ballot access following the approval of new, more stringent threshold rules for qualifying. Sharpe was nominated by the party in October to again be the party’s candidate in the 2026 contest.
“In the New York Governor’s race the GOP needs a candidate that’s actually going to go the distance and keep fighting for the people of New York. They say ‘Hochul’s Bad’ alone but won’t provide policy solutions,” Sharpe wrote on X on Friday. “Even worse they have sued me off the ballot, abandoned Rob Astorino and Curtis Sliwa. Time to send in a Marine.”
Spectrum News 1 has reached out to Blakeman’s campaign for comment.
The state Republican Party will hold their convention on Long Island next week to nominate their candidates for statewide office. The state Democratic convention is ongoing in Syracuse.