President Donald Trump shakes the hand of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman while speaking with reporters as Trump arrives on Air Force One at Republic Airport in Farmingdale in September. AP file photo

Republican candidate for New York state governor Bruce Blakeman is starting to smell the coffee after apparently chugging too much downstate Kool Aid. During last week’s Long Island Association breakfast, both he and incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul shared the spotlight at the event that included a thorny greeting between the two.

According to the New York Post, Blakeman and Hochul shared what was considered an awkward handshake of sorts after he exited the stage and she was readying to enter. As Nassau County Executive, Blakeman was confident and in his comfort zone while speaking at the gathering.

When it comes to upstate, however, he’s learning on the job — while becoming a bit less clueless. “Here on Long Island, people are generally happy — but as I travel around the state, there are regions that aren’t very happy, they’re miserable — they feel that the state government has let them down,” Blakeman said in the New York Post.

Shocking.

Instead of enjoying the Sunday drives on the Long Island Expressway, Blakeman needs a change of scenery by traveling Interstate 86 and the New York State Thruway to see how downtrodden a once prolific and prosperous region has become over the last five decades. As someone who’s seeking to oversee Albany, he needs to get his head — and perceptions — out of downstate.

Nassau County, due to its proximity to New York City, is sitting pretty economically. Its median household income is tops in the state and one of the wealthiest in the nation at $143,000 per year. Neighboring Suffolk County was second at $128,000 per year.

That’s a whole other world when compared to Western New York and the poorest upstate entity in Chautauqua County. Here, the U.S. Census notes a median household income of about $58,000 and a poverty rate of 17% — three times more than the 5.3% of opulent Nassau County.

Yet the out-of-touch Long Islander last weekend had the revelation that not everyone’s life in New York is coming up roses. For some, it is a lot more like pricker bushes.

Shortly before Christmas, Blakeman was anointed the Republican candidate who will challenge Hochul in November for Albany’s top office. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik abruptly dropped out of the race at that time, citing a commitment to family while also not wanting to be in a battle that she said was not “an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.”

Say what you want about Stefanik, who serves the Adirondacks and a constituency near the capital district, she was always plugged into all of New York — not just her region. During speeches and statewide visits that included Western New York, she made connections with many — including Democrats and Independent voters — who thought she had the best chance to conquer the incumbent.

Since her exit, optimism and excitement regarding the race for governor has deflated. Most were on the Stefanik bandwagon while Blakeman was giddily riding the Nassau County gravy train.

Last October, this corner noted the lack of a unified message and strong leadership that typifies the currently fractured state Republican Party. Many, especially Democrats, may not always be pleased with how current U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy of District 23 votes for his constituents. But he was able to bring unity and a consistent voice by the state Republicans when he was chair.

Ed Cox’s stale re-emergence in leading the less dominant party has become an advantage to a vulnerable Hochul. Over the last six months, Stefanik by all accounts, was the people’s choice to challenge the incumbent.

Those sentiments, however, appear to have been ignored by the Republicans. Once Blakeman entered the race, everything came to a standstill in terms of support and momentum for Stefanik.

This is not a promising scenario. New Yorkers had a compelling race for governor with two strong women. Blakeman, who oversees a county that has the look of the Emerald City to blue-collar New Yorkers, comes across as a dud and unaware.

At the moment, he is likely the best chance to turn the state around for those who despise Hochul. But if he is just beginning to grasp the longtime and highly documented struggles of upstate, which he admitted to last week in the New York Post, the Nassau County executive is far from being an engaged and knowledgeable candidate. He is just an alternative.

That is in no way an inspiring choice for New Yorkers who were hoping for major reforms in the climate of this stumbling, high tax state.

John D’Agostino is the editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.