Trump plans GOP rally with Bruce Blakeman in Syracuse

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Oct 6, 2026

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President Trump Tuesday announced he’ll appear at a campaign rally in Syracuse alongside Republican governor candidate Bruce Blakeman on Friday as he continues to raise eyebrows with an unconventional itinerary in the home stretch leading up to the midterm congressional elections.

Trump is jetting into upstate city to boost Blakeman, the Nassau County executive who is running a long-shot effort to unseat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the deep-blue Empire State.

Aside from Blakeman’s race, there aren’t many competitive contests anywhere near Syracuse, the heavily Democratic city where Trump will speak.

Democratic Rep. John Mannion won the NY-22 district that covers the area by 10% in 2024 and is considered a shoo-in to win reelection. Neither New York U.S. senator is up for reelection this year.

The location is somewhat near the deep-red North Country NY-21 district represented by Rep. Elise Stefanik, who is stepping down.

With polls showing a looming blue wave, some Democrats are bullish on the chances of dairy farmer Blake Gendebien to beat Republican Anthony Constantino in the rural district, which voted for Trump by more than 20% in 2024.

Trump has started to rev up his involvement in the midterms and regularly pleads with his loyal supporters to pretend he is on the ballot.

But Democrats, including Hochul, believe that push is actually helping their candidates in many swing states and congressional districts because Trump is saddled with historically low approval ratings.

That could explain why Trump is mostly avoiding battleground states and instead has been hopscotching across MAGA strongholds like Alabama, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Pundits say Democrats are overwhelming favorites to take back the House of Representatives where the GOP hold a slim five-seat edge. The Senate is a tougher hill to climb because Democrats likely need to flip four seats now held by Republicans, including in red states like Ohio, Texas, Alaska and Kansas.

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