A year following his announcement of the BID for the top job in New York, Lee Zeldin, a Representative has finally clinched the gubernatorial nomination. He has taken in 40% of the votes during the primaries and is looking to become the first Republican since Pataki won here 20 years ago.
Lee Zeldin is aware of the enormity of the task at hand and realizes that he needs to recruit voters from outside his Republican base. He hopes to bring in Democrats dissatisfied with their party’s action against inflation and crime, and also hopes to turn in the independents.
Hochul will try to convince voters that Lee Zeldin holds more extreme views than he is willing to reveal at this stage.
Lee Zeldin To Focus On Gun Laws, Public Safety, And Living Costs
Among the issues close to Lee Zeldin in this campaign are living costs, hit hard by inflation, and public safety, always an issue in New York. Zeldin wishes to reverse part of the reforms on criminal justice that were passed in the past few years. It includes the HALT Act, which he believes impinges on the application of solitary confinement confinements, and also changes that were passed in the parole system in New York.
Lee Zeldin has spoken of his desire for a Law Enforcement Bill of Rights. In the initial stage of the campaign, Zeldin opposed the mask mandate. The mask mandate remains in place in hospitals and nursing homes for both staff and visitors.
Zeldin has also strongly opposed the creation of ‘gun-free zones,’ in schools and government buildings, arguing that these zones make a person a target and do not make them safer.
For all his efforts, it appears that a robust performance by Zeldin in the November elections would not be enough to wrest control of the NY Assembly.
