OPINION:
Lee Zeldin — combat veteran, lawyer, father, husband and New York native — is on a mission to save the Empire State.
Last week, Mr. Zeldin, the Republican nominee for governor, talked about his friends and neighbors leaving New York for places such as Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee because those places offered safer streets, better economies and more freedom.
That was striking because it tracked almost precisely what he offered 18 months ago (in April 2021) to The Washington Times when asked why he is running: “New York is in bad shape and we have to save our state. People — passionately, emotionally — have been talking to me as if this is the last stand, a last great opportunity to save our state. They have been talking about attacks on our wallets, our safety and our freedoms.
“They are getting close to their own breaking points. They are citing the high cost of living, not making enough to make ends meet, the rising crime, cashless bail, not supporting law enforcement enough, our kids not getting back in school in many places across New York.
“At the same time, New Yorkers are watching other states provide a pathway to more prosperity and more freedom and, as a bonus, have warmer weather. New Yorkers are asking themselves why they should stick around all of these failed liberal policies.”
Keep in mind, that focus — which has been retained throughout the campaign — is from April 2021.
If his campaign — which as recently as two months ago was trailing the Democratic incumbent by 18 points and is now tied with that same incumbent — seems quixotic to some, to him, it is a matter of urgency. He is trying to preserve a treasured way of life for his family. “I am a proud New Yorker born and raised. The short time I didn’t live in New York, I was in the Army on active duty for four years. I grew up on Long Island and went to college at SUNY Albany and law school at Albany Law School.”
“When I came off active duty, I moved back home, very close to where I grew up. I’m raising my family there; my daughters go to school in the same school district, right there in my hometown, where I went to kindergarten through 12th grade.”
At the same time, Mr. Zeldin is running a race grounded in practicality. “I have come off of six consecutive races in which I was targeted. I beat an incumbent Democrat to win a state Senate seat in 2010. I beat a six-term, 12-year Democratic incumbent to win a House district in 2014. [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and the Democrats have come after me every single time with millions of dollars — seven figures and sometimes eight figures — to try and take me out, and I’m still here after winning six consecutive, hard-fought general election campaigns.
“I’m battle-tested, we know what it takes to win, we have great plan and great team. We had a great launch. The financial support is there. The volunteer base is there. And we’re going to work our tails off … to bring home a win and help save the state.”
Lee Zeldin, a native son of the Empire State, maybe its last, best hope.
• Michael McKenna, a columnist for The Washington Times, co-hosts “The Unregulated Podcast.” He was most recently a deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House.
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