Exclusive | Knicks owner James Dolan to host $10K-per-ticket MSG fundraiser for NY gov candidate Bruce Blakeman

Knicks owner James Dolan is hosting a fundraiser for GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman on Thursday at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, The Post has learned.The gala hosted by Dolan — along with the president and CEO of Witkoff Group, Scott Alper and chairman of EnTrust Global, Gregg Hymowitz — will take place ahead of the reigning NBA champions’ preseason showdown with the Toronto Raptors.Tickets to attend the event start at $10,000, jumping to $25,000 for friend level and $50,000 for patriot status, according to an invite obtained by The Post.Recent polls have Blakeman trailing Hochul by 9 to 11 points.Dolan has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in this year’s election cycle backing Republicans running for office.

Last month, a Super PAC that he is helping bankroll dropped $250,000 on a billboard campaign to attack incumbent Democrat Gov.Kathy Hochul, accusing her of driving folks out of the Empire State.“You are Now Leaving NY (Like Everyone Else),” the billboard read, adding, “Vote Bruce Blakeman.”The Strong and Safe New York PAC also recently started to dip into its coffers to back Republican AG candidate Saritha Komatireddy in her race against Democratic incumbent Letitia James.The billboard campaign is part of a “seven-figure” buy to put up ads across Long Island and the northern burbs of Westchester County and Rockland County.Dolan also clashed with Mayor Zohran Mamdani when a feud over the Garden’s watch parties held outside of the arena during the playoffs spilled out into public.At a City Hall ceremony following the Knicks championship parade in downtown Manhattan, Mamdani took a swipe at the mayor who had gave a speech reciting the ups and downs of the Knicks in recent decades.“I don’t need your vote, I don’t need to quote to you, right, about what happened here because if you’re real Knicks fans, you know it already,” Dolan said....