Mamdani's secret gym use, Blakeman's finance discrepancies shape New York campaign

Mayor's late-night basketball games at NYPD facility raise questions; Republican gubernatorial candidate's bank statements don't match disclosure reports

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published26 October 2026

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani has been using the NYPD Police Academy gymnasium in Queens for late-night pickup basketball games, sources familiar with the sessions told POLITICO, while Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman faces questions over campaign finance filings that show bank balances far exceeding what he reported.

According to four people familiar with the games, Mayor Mamdani and a group of fellow basketball enthusiasts have been secretly entering the NYPD Police Academy's gymnasium in Queens around 10 or 11 p.m. via a loading dock. The revelation adds a new dimension to the mayor's political brand, which has often benefited from his sports enthusiasm.

Separately, copies of Blakeman's campaign bank statements obtained by POLITICO suggest significant discrepancies with his disclosure reports. While a disclosure filed this month showed $178,000 in the bank, the campaign's TD Bank checking account balance was $1.7 million on Sept. 28. The bank records show dozens of missing transactions, including a $13,500 check and two wires, one from actress Lois Robbins for $18,000 and another from campaign finance chair Howard Fensterman, that do not appear in the filings.

Reinvent Albany's Kyle Kennedy said the discrepancies could be due to timing of recording, but noted the campaign "will automatically be audited by the Board of Elections after the election." Blakeman's campaign did not respond to a request for comment, but has previously attributed reporting problems to technical issues from a large number of donors.

Meanwhile, early voting turnout across New York surged 85% in the first two days compared to 2022, with the largest increases in the North Country. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, in a tough re-election fight, worked a shift at a McDonald's in Haverstraw, telling POLITICO he feels confident but sees himself as an underdog.

Mayor Mamdani also hit the campaign trail for Gov. Kathy Hochul, touting her support for affordable child care and criticizing Blakeman. Asked if he expects something in return, Mamdani said he expects "a continuation of a positive and productive working relationship with the governor."

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The gym usage raises questions about mayoral use of city resources and access to NYPD facilities.
Blakeman's finance discrepancies could affect the integrity of the state's new matching funds program.
With eight days until Election Day, early voting numbers and campaign activities signal the intensity of the races.

Background

New York's gubernatorial race between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Bruce Blakeman has intensified, with Blakeman's campaign finance practices under scrutiny. The state's new matching funds program, the first for a gubernatorial candidate, has drawn attention after similar programs in New York City led to audits. Early voting has increased sharply, particularly in competitive congressional districts.

Key Perspectives

Mayor Zohran Mamdani: Uses NYPD gym for basketball games, confirmed by sources; publicly supports Hochul and expects continued cooperation. Blakeman campaign: Finance reporting issues are due to technical problems from a large number of donors. Reinvent Albany's Kyle Kennedy: Timing may explain discrepancies, but an automatic audit will follow the election. Rep. Mike Lawler: Confident of victory but considers himself an underdog in the Hudson Valley district.

What to Watch

Whether the Board of Elections audit reveals further discrepancies in Blakeman's filings.
Early voting trends in competitive districts, especially the North Country seat vacated by Elise Stefanik.
Mayor Mamdani's relationship with Hochul if she wins re-election and his push for tax hikes.

Sources

Blakeman’s bank statements don’t match his disclosure reports · Politico

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedMamdani has been secretly using the NYPD Police Academy gym in Queens for late-night pickup basketball.Politics: “Mayor Zohran Mamdani and a group of fellow basketball enthusiasts have been secretly using the NYPD Police Academy’s gymnasium in Queens to play pickup ball, according to four people familiar with the games.”
SupportedBlakeman’s reported bank balance was far below the balance shown in his campaign bank statement.Politics: “According to a disclosure report submitted to the state Board of Elections earlier this month, the Blakeman campaign had only $178,000 in the bank as of Sept. 28. Yet the campaign’s checking account had a balance of $1.7 million on Sept. 28, according to TD Bank’s monthly statement.”
SupportedFour people familiar with the games said Mamdani and his group usually arrived around 10 or 11 p.m. and entered through a loading dock.Politics: “The mayor and his crew typically show up around 10 or 11 p.m. and enter surreptitiously through a loading dock before hitting the court.”
Partly supportedThe gym revelation adds a new dimension to Mamdani’s political brand, which has often benefited from his sports enthusiasm.Politics: “While sports fanaticism has often buoyed the political brand of past mayors, Mamdani’s choice of venue is raising eyebrows.”
SupportedThe campaign bank account held $1.7 million on Sept. 28, while a disclosure filed earlier that month reported $178,000.Politics: “According to a disclosure report submitted to the state Board of Elections earlier this month, the Blakeman campaign had only $178,000 in the bank as of Sept. 28. Yet the campaign’s checking account had a balance of $1.7 million on Sept. 28, according to TD Bank’s monthly statement.”
SupportedThe bank records show missing transactions, including a $13,500 check and wires from Lois Robbins for $18,000 and Howard Fensterman.Politics: “The bank records also show dozens of transactions that are missing from his campaign finance filings. [...] The statements show Blakeman was wired $18,000 by actress Lois Robbins on Sept. 2 [...] An $18,000 wire from attorney and campaign finance chair Howard Fensterman in July similarly doesn’t match anything in the disclosure reports.”
SupportedKyle Kennedy said the discrepancies could be due to when transactions were recorded.Politics: “Reinvent Albany’s Kyle Kennedy said he didn’t know the cause of the discrepancies, but that it could just be due to “the timing of when things were recorded.””
SupportedKennedy said the campaign “will automatically be audited by the Board of Elections after the election.”Politics: “But, he noted, Blakeman’s campaign “will automatically be audited by the Board of Elections after the election. … Campaign finance enforcement takes place after elections, not in real-time.””
SupportedMamdani said he expected “a continuation of a positive and productive working relationship with the governor.”Politics: ““I’m expecting a continuation of a positive and productive working relationship with the governor,” he said.”
SupportedEarly voting turnout across New York rose roughly 85% in the first two days compared with 2022, with the biggest increases in the North Country.Politics: “On the first two days of early voting in 2022, 261,735 people cast a ballot. This weekend, that number increased to 485,205 — a jump of roughly 85 percent. The biggest increases were in the North Country”
SupportedRep. Mike Lawler worked a shift at a McDonald’s in Haverstraw and told POLITICO he felt confident but considered himself an underdog.Politics: “Lawler told POLITICO he’s feeling confident going into the final days of his campaign, but insisted that he is an underdog in the Hudson Valley district.”
SupportedMamdani campaigned for Hochul, promoting her support for affordable child care and criticising Blakeman.Politics: “Fresh off a weekend of enthusiastic campaigning for Gov. Kathy Hochul, the mayor addressed reporters at a press conference this morning. He stuck to his rhetoric touting the governor as a champion for affordable child care and lampooning her GOP foe Bruce Blakeman as a Trump puppet.”