A Queens deli has christened a turkey hero after Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman as the candidate campaigns on slashing everyday costs.
Blakeman, whose team staged the Friday media event at Mario’s Meats & Gourmet Deli in Flushing, pledged to knock “The Blakeman” from its current $15 price down to $12 if he wins November’s election. The candidate made the promise directly at the counter of the neighborhood shop, where the signature sandwich layers fresh roasted turkey, shredded lettuce, oil and vinegar vinaigrette and spicy deli mustard.
“When I become governor it’ll be $12,” he said at the deli. “Gotta make it affordable.”
The display was designed to “highlight how much more expensive it has become to operate a neighborhood deli and put a sandwich on the counter compared with five years ago when [Gov.] Kathy Hochul took office,” his campaign said in a press release. Small businesses face mounting pressure from taxes, electricity, labor, insurance and rent, the release noted, costs that “ultimately affect the prices customers see at the register.”
Joe Digangi, owner of the Flushing establishment, said Blakeman’s focus on energy costs resonated after a brutal summer of utility bills.
“My whole thing is with the prices of electric and gas. The summer was ridiculous for us. We were making money, yes, but it was going in one hand and out the other,” he said.
Digangi detailed the relentless drain of keeping his operation running.
“So, he’s big on energy costs, big on trying to help us out with knocking out those energy costs… And I have a lot of refrigerators, a lot of air conditioners in here, so it’s just a constant, you know, $4,000, $5,000 bill every month,” he continued.
The candidate’s choice of turkey over more traditional political fare like pastrami or corned beef came with a domestic explanation.
“My wife wants me to eat healthy,” Blakeman said. “What can I tell ya? You gotta follow orders.”
The campaign’s theatrical stop drew sharp pushback from state Democrats. New York State Democratic Party Spokesperson Addison Dick fired back that Blakeman’s lunch-counter economics ignored larger forces driving up food prices.
“New Yorkers know baloney when they see it – Blakeman still has no beef with Trump’s tariffs that are sending grocery prices skyrocketing and forcing New Yorkers to spend all their bread on basic necessities,” Dick said.
Blakeman faces Hochul in the November 3 general election as he seeks to flip the governor’s mansion.