Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) does not regret his gubernatorial race in New York despite coming up short and losing to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).
While the Republican candidate did not secure a victory in his race for governor, he did give the incumbent Democrat a run for her money, earning the best total-vote performance of any GOP candidate in over 50 years. The New York representative earned at least 2.66 million votes on Tuesday, the highest for a GOP gubernatorial candidate in the state since Nelson Rockefeller’s four election victories from 1958 through 1970, according to the New York Post.
“I feel like the results showed how effective the campaign was reaching out beyond Republicans,” Zeldin said in his first interview post-election. “We’ll see what the final tally is. But the only way to come this close in the state like New York — one of the bluest states in the country — is to be able to connect with Democrats and independents as well. There’s no way that we would have been able to get this close to 50% without being able to successfully connect with so many people who have in the past voted Democrat.”
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Zeldin also expressed his satisfaction with the congressional victories for the GOP in New York, including winning 10 House races in the state, four of which were held by Democrats, as of Wednesday and helping the party as it aimed to achieve a majority in the House. Zeldin accredited the GOP’s victories in the state to running as “one-team, one ticket.”
“I helped to bring out their voters, they helped to bring out my voters,” Zeldin said. “That’s what happens when you are all working together on these campaigns.”
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Hochul beat Zeldin on Tuesday, making her the first woman to be elected as the Empire State’s governor. Hochul assumed the office of governor in August 2021 after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) resigned.
In conceding the election, Zeldin congratulated Hochul for her victory and praised his supporters for giving him a “once in a generation campaign” that came very close to winning “in the bluest of states.”
Congratulations @KathyHochul on her election to a full term.
This once in a generation campaign was a very close margin in the bluest of states.
If not for the dedicated, hard work of grassroots volunteers & supporters this incredibly close race wouldn’t have been possible. pic.twitter.com/7latYSaka7
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) November 9, 2022
