Illustration : LNA
NEW YORK, Oct 28 — Rapper Nicki Minaj has urged New York voters, singling out Black and Christian voters, to reject Governor Kathy Hochul and support Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman, less than a week before the state’s Nov 3 gubernatorial election.
In a series of posts on her X account, @NICKIMINAJ, on Wednesday evening US time, the artist sharply criticised the Democratic governor and said the Democratic Party “should forfeit her seat because even if she wins, she will be of great consequence to them”. The first post, published at about 5.30 pm Eastern time, had drawn more than 1.1 million views by Thursday morning Malaysian time.
About 10 minutes later, Minaj quoted a post by another user that shared a video and said it showed how Hochul views Black children. She wrote: “HOW MUCH MORE DO YOU NEED TO SEE & HEAR FROM THEM?!!”, questioning how Black people and Christians could vote for the governor, before ending with “Vote BLAKEMAN!” and tagging Blakeman’s account, @NassauExec.
In a third post, she quoted another user who referred to Hochul’s remarks at a Black church about rebate checks and the liquor store, and accused the governor of keeping “horrible company”, adding: “Dear God, help us.”
Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive and the Republican and Conservative nominee, responded on X by quoting Minaj’s first post: “Nicki, I’ve got the U-Haul ready. It’s time to fire the worst governor in America.”
Past remarks
The posts revived two earlier controversies for which Hochul has publicly expressed regret.
In May 2024, speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California, Hochul said “young Black kids growing up in the Bronx” did not “even know what the word computer is”, the Associated Press reported. She later said in a statement that she “misspoke” and regretted it, adding: “Of course Black children in the Bronx know what computers are — the problem is that they too often lack access to the technology needed to get on track to high-paying jobs in emerging industries like AI.”
In September 2025, at True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo, Hochul told congregants that state inflation rebate checks were coming and said: “Don’t stop by the liquor store, OK? Buy something for the kids — buy them some food,” according to a transcript published by the governor’s office. After criticism, she described the comment as a “lighthearted joke” and said it was “not the best way” to make her point, adding that she was not making “any generalisation about any particular community”. The church’s bishop, Darius Pridgen, defended the governor at the time, Politico reported.
Political shift
Minaj’s posts mark a reversal from 2018, when she urged New Yorkers to vote for then-governor Andrew Cuomo, his running mate Hochul and Letitia James, according to The Hill. On Oct 25, Minaj spoke at a rally for President Donald Trump in Port Huron, Michigan, USA Today reported.
Polls
Recent surveys show Hochul ahead. A Siena Research Institute poll of 807 likely voters, conducted Oct 19-22 and released on Oct 28, put Hochul at 54 per cent and Blakeman at 40 per cent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. A Marist poll conducted Oct 22-25 showed Hochul leading 53 per cent to 42 per cent among likely voters.
Blakeman has dismissed the polls, describing them as “voter suppression tactics”, CBS New York reported.
No response from Hochul or her campaign to Minaj’s posts had been reported at the time of writing.
Early voting in New York runs until Nov 1, ahead of Election Day on Nov 3.
— LNA
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