Aside from the former president, Lee Zeldin drew the most applause at the Trump rally in Uniondale as he exhorted the crowd to keep the House red by returning Republicans to Washington.
The former congressman was heralded for his aggressive campaign for governor in 2022, which helped carry four Long Island reps over the finish line and take the speaker’s gavel from the Democrats. The party is looking for Donald Trump to bring in a similar tide of GOP voters this year to buoy its statewide slate.
“I have bad news for Schumer and Pelosi and Nadler and Omar and Schiff,” Zeldin told the enthusiastic crowd, referring to the Hill’s Democrat leadership. “Because New York is sending Donald Trump back with a Republican Congress to work with.”
Key to maintaining the GOP’s razor-thin edge in the House was Alison Esposito, Zeldin’s running mate when he tried to bounce Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is looking to flip the 18th District, which includes the cities of Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston, and Poughkeepsie. An Esposito win would compensate for the loss of George Santos, who was expelled from Congress after a raft of charges were levied against him.
Living through one-party Democrat rule was a “disaster,” Zeldin stated. “They gave us a broken economy, a broken border, a broken world. So our message to Kamala Harris and the far-left Democrats is that we are unburdened by what has been, and we are not going back,” he said, mocking a Harris campaign line.
The Long Island favorite disputed the vice president’s assertion that her first day in office will be in January if she takes the Oval Office. “Her Day One was three-and-a-half years ago. And when Kamala Harris says she’s going to do this and Kamala Harris says she’s going to do that, the rest of us in America say, ‘Why the heck have you not done any of it by now?’”
According to Zeldin, New Yorkers are not just voting against Harris; they’re looking for Trump to bring back a strong economy, a secure border, and safe streets. “We’re voting for a military focused on defending America instead of being the world’s biggest social experiment,” said the Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel who served with the 82nd Airborne Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. “We’re voting for a president who ends foreign wars instead of starting new ones. We’re voting to save America, and that’s why we’re voting for Donald J. Trump.”
Zeldin also brought up a referendum on this year’s ballot pushed by the Democrats, which he says will put their entire far-left agenda into the state’s constitution. According to Zeldin, Proposition One will allow men to compete in women’s sports, give males access to female bathrooms and locker rooms, give noncitizens the right to vote, and designate New York as a sanctuary state. “There are endless reasons why the Democrats are trying to put their entire far left agenda into the New York State constitution, and that is why we need to stop the far left Prop One and vote no.”
Of Zeldin, Trump said in his speech: “He’s great, and he’s a big part of our campaign, and I want to bring him to Washington with us. He’s a great lawyer. Get ready.”