By: Daisy Fay Buchanan

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has surged far ahead in the money race, tripling his campaign cash reserves over the past year and out-raising his Democratic challenger by nearly $1.5 million in the first half of 2025, The New York Post reported.

Blakeman, a Republican incumbent, hauled in close to $2 million between January 15 and July 15, according to recent campaign finance disclosures. His donations came from a mix of political action committees, unions, corporations, and nearly 700 individual contributors. In contrast, Democratic contender Seth Koslow raised just $433,535 during the same period.

At the close of the reporting window, Blakeman held a commanding $3.3 million in campaign funds, dwarfing Koslow’s $389,855, the New York Post noted.

“I’m proud to have earned overwhelming support from hardworking taxpayers, law enforcement, trade unions, and local employers who stand behind my record of holding the line on taxes and keeping Nassau the safest county in America,” Blakeman told The Post.

Blakeman’s donor list includes numerous heavy hitters. Filings revealed that about 40 contributions exceeded $10,000, including $50,000 each from insurance executive James Metzger and members of Bolla Oil CEO Harvinder Singh’s family. The Post reported these high-dollar contributions helped rapidly expand Blakeman’s already-strong campaign war chest.

He also drew sizable support from the healthcare sector. Notably, two prominent Republican donors in the nursing home industry – Kenneth Gaul and Benjamin Landa – each gave $25,000. That same amount was contributed by the estate of Lawrence Herbert, the late creator of the Pantone color system, according to campaign records cited by the New York Post.

Union support has also flowed heavily toward the county executive. The Nassau County Police Benevolent Association donated $12,000, while other law enforcement unions – including corrections, detectives, and superior officers – added thousands more to the campaign’s totals, filings show.

Koslow, a Merrick-based attorney and county legislator, has criticized the sources of Blakeman’s funding. At a protest rally outside the executive’s office on July 17, Koslow accused his opponent of selling access and favoring county vendors who contribute to his campaign. He pointed to a $25,000 donation from attorneys at Abrams Fensterman – a firm that currently holds contracts with the county – including Frank Carone, former top aide to NYC Mayor Eric Adams, The Post reported.

“If you’re doing business with the county, odds are you’re cutting checks to Bruce, too,” Koslow said, placing a mock “for sale” sign on Blakeman’s office door during the rally. He slammed the campaign’s success as the result of “auctioning off county contracts like they were concert tickets.”

Blakeman dismissed Koslow’s criticism, calling his challenge a “failing campaign aided by criminal attorneys and radical NYC politicians that want to defund the police and raise taxes,” The Post reported.

While Koslow reported more individual donors than Blakeman – nearly 100 more – most of them gave in smaller amounts. His supporters include Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs ($15,000), philanthropist Eric Knight ($10,000), and the New Suburbia PAC ($8,500), which promotes progressive suburban candidates.