{"id":166211,"date":"2026-03-17T14:43:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/166211\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:43:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:43:10","slug":"whitestone-republican-club-draws-packed-crowd-as-blakeman-paladino-rally-support-for-2026-elections-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/166211\/","title":{"rendered":"Whitestone Republican Club draws packed crowd as Blakeman, Paladino rally support for 2026 elections \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"whitestone\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Local leaders and candidates worked to rally support for the 2026 elections as they spoke at the Whitestone Republican Club\u2019s March meeting.<\/p>\n

Photo by Robert Pearl<\/p>\n

The Whitestone Republican Club<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The meeting was held at American Legion hall. Photo by Robert Pearl<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The room was packed for the March 11 Whitestone Republican Club meeting. Photo by Robert Pearl<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to be a team that backs the blue,\u201d Blakeman told the crowd, drawing applause. \u201cWhen I become governor\u2026 we are no longer a sanctuary state.\u201d He also took aim at rising utility costs, arguing that \u201cone third of your bill goes for energy\u2026 two-thirds goes for taxes\u2026 and green energy mandates,\u201d pledging to \u201ccut electric bills in half.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Bruce Blakeman speaks at the Whitestone Republican Club meeting. Photo by Robert Pearl<\/p>\n

Hood, a longtime law enforcement official, echoed the campaign\u2019s public safety message and urged grassroots involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the momentum. We are motivated,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you go vote in November, bring 10 or 15 of your friends with you.\u201d
\n\"\"<\/a>Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood speaks at the meeting. Photo by Robert Pearl\n<\/p>\n

Hood was born in Oneida, New York, and has been a Madison County resident his entire life, and is part of Blakeman\u2019s law and order platform to solidify the upstate vote.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Diamant Hysenaj and Pamela Michos. Photo by Robert Pearl<\/p>\n

Paladino, known for her combative political style, delivered one of the night\u2019s most impassioned speeches, urging attendees to take an active role in upcoming elections.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Council Member Vickie Paladino at the Whitestone Republican Club March 11 meeting. Photo by Robert Pearl<\/p>\n

As she introduced Blakeman, she imparted one key takeaway: \u201cWe must elect Bruce Blakeman as the next governor or we lose New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, taking questions from the attendees, she pushed back on one of the questioners, \u201cInstead of asking what a candidate is going to do to get elected, look in the mirror and ask what you are going to do,\u201d she said. \u201cGet involved. Volunteer. Donate. That\u2019s how you win.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. \u201cI am suing the City Council,\u201d Paladino said. \u201cI will not be silenced. I will continue to fight and represent my constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo by Robert Pearl<\/p>\n

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\u2019s theme song goes, \u201cI won\u2019t back down.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Paladino is currently facing an ethics probe over past controversial social media posts<\/a> that some have labeled Islamophobic. The City Council\u2019s ethics committee has charged her with disorderly conduct and violations of internal anti-discrimination policies, where potential penalties range from censure to expulsion.<\/p>\n

The meeting\u2019s final speaker, Zilvinas Silenas, President and CEO of Empire Center for Public Policy<\/a>, focused on economic and policy issues, particularly energy and taxation. He warned of what he described as a \u201cself-imposed energy crisis\u201d driven by state climate policies and over taxation. His mission statement: \u201cPerhaps this is the end of the beginning of really bad ideas dominating New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn New York, you\u2019re paying about 27 cents per kilowatt hour. In Pennsylvania, it\u2019s 20. In Florida, it\u2019s 14,\u201d Silenas said. \u201cIf policies don\u2019t change, $6 gas will be the least of our problems.\u201d Blakeman vowed that if elected, he would cut New Yorkers\u2019 energy bills in half.<\/p>\n

Throughout the evening, speakers repeatedly stressed unity across party lines and the importance of voter engagement. \u201cThis is not a party race. This is a race based on policy,\u201d Paladino said. \u201cEverything hangs in the balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local leaders and candidates worked to rally support for the 2026 elections as they spoke at the Whitestone…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[1626,8747,9,24,63,122,124,123,47724],"class_list":["post-166211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-bruce-blakeman","tag-council-member-vickie-paladino","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-whitestone-republican-club"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}