'Awkward': GOP candidate reacts to being Trump's second choice for NY governor

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman addressed whether it was "awkward" after President Donald Trump endorsed him as his second choice for New York governor.

During a Monday press conference, Blakeman expressed "respect" for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) after she dropped out of the race for governor.

"The president endorsed you," one reporter noted. "Can you talk about that, and is it awkward that so many of the Republican leaders didn't initially support you, and now they are?"

"No, not at all, because most of the people who endorsed Elise did so before I got in the race," Blakeman insisted. "So people started to say, well, look, if this guy can win in a county with 110,000 more Democrats by 36,000 votes, maybe he's got the right message."

"[NY Governor] Kathy Hochul wants to talk about everything but her record," he added. "So I'm going to stay on target. I'm going to talk about my record. I'm going to talk about her record."

"People can compare the two records. And once they compare both records, I feel very confident that I'll be the next governor of the state of New York."