Actress Debra Messing, long associated with Democratic politics and an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, is crossing party lines in the New York governor’s race, endorsing Republican Bruce Blakeman over Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The 58-year-old, best known for playing Grace Adler on the television comedy “Will & Grace,” announced her support for Blakeman at a Manhattan fundraiser on Oct. 5.
In a video shared through Blakeman’s social media account, Messing praised the Nassau County executive as the candidate she believes can address New York’s growing economic pressures.
“Oh gosh, I am so grateful that you are running,” she told Blakeman. “You are what we need more than anything.”
“The decline in this city over the last four years has been so exponential and devastating economically, socially, on every level, and obviously we’ve lost so much business here. People are leaving the city.”
The Brooklyn native said her decision was driven primarily by her concerns about the direction of New York City and the cost of living, including rising household expenses, utility costs, and congestion pricing.
“I was born here,” she added. “This is the city I love, and its not the city that I love anymore. And I believe with all my heart that you are the answer. You are the affordable campaign candidate.”
“I think, more than anything, people are just really struggling, and they need their utilities to be lower, and they don’t want to have to pay to have congestion and the driving, and it’s just too expensive to live in New York City,” she said.
Messing’s endorsement marks a notable shift from her previous political views. She campaigned for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and appeared at the Democratic National Convention that year.
She also supported actress Cynthia Nixon’s unsuccessful 2018 campaign for New York governor and participated in the get-out-the-vote efforts in the 2020 election.
Blakeman is the Republican nominee for governor and has been endorsed by Trump after Rep. Elise Stefanik suspended her campaign for governor and announced she would not seek reelection to Congress.
He is campaigning against Hochul on issues including affordability, taxes, crime, and immigration. The Democratic incumbent is seeking another term as governor.
“Actress Debra Messing is supporting my campaign and speaking out about this state’s disaster,” Blakeman wrote on Instagram. “I’m running to give New Yorkers a safer, more affordable future.”
“Kathy Hochul has failed to deliver,” he continued. “When I am Governor, I will cut taxes, slash utility bills in half, stand against hate, and put more police in our communities.”
Messing has remained active in Democratic politics while also expressing criticism of some policies and political figures on the left. In last year’s New York City mayoral race, she endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo over Zohran Mamdani.
She has also publicly supported Israel and criticized some responses from the political left to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Messing has posted signs in Manhattan featuring the names and information of Israeli hostages and urged students not to remove them after some of the posters were torn down.
