Lee Zeldin tamps down Senate run speculation: ‘Never given any thought to it’

Ex-congressman Lee Zeldin is dismissing speculation he will run for Senate next year in New York as he weighs how best to capitalize on a stronger-than-expected campaign for governor in 2022.

Zeldin, who spent eight years representing Long Island in the House, came within six points of defeating incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) last year, the closest gubernatorial contest there since 1994.

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He has repeatedly teased a return to government in the months since, raising the prospect he will challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who is running for her third full term in the Senate in 2024. His May comments that he would “keep an eye” on the race only fueled speculation.

Yet Zeldin, speaking to the Washington Examiner on Thursday night in his first trip to the Capitol since leaving office in January, denied that he was contemplating a bid.

“I haven’t spent 10 seconds thinking about running for Senate,” he said.

Asked if he had spent any money to evaluate such a run, whether that be on consultants or internal polling, he said he had not.

He was evasive, however, when asked pointedly if he would rule out a campaign. “I haven’t even begun to think about it,” he said.

Zeldin, whose coattails helped four House Republicans flip seats in New York in 2022, remains a political force in the state. Earlier this year, he launched a PAC to help reelect those freshmen to another term and is lending a hand to local candidates everywhere from New York City to counties upstate. In Suffolk, his home county, he is backing Ed Romaine for county executive.

His desire to stay relevant in Washington politics is just as apparent. He briefly considered a run for chairman of the Republican National Committee in the weeks after his loss to Hochul, citing the need to “retool” after Republicans underperformed in the midterm elections outside of mini red waves in New York and Florida.

And he acted as a surrogate for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as he attempted to revive his floundering bid for House speaker. The congressman hoped Zeldin, who spent two days on the Hill this week, could move the needle with a handful of New York Republicans blocking him from the speakership, but his nomination fell apart on Friday in a closed-door meeting of the Republican conference.

Four of those New York lawmakers supported Zeldin himself for speaker, a protest vote that nonetheless underscored the respect he commands in the state.

His popularity among House Republicans was evident as he walked across the Capitol grounds on Thursday night — lawmakers repeatedly stopped him to say “hello” as he conducted this interview.

Yet for now, Zeldin is content to be away from Washington, lamenting the school plays and basketball games he missed while in office. In addition to the PAC, he announced a charity in May for impoverished communities called Zeldin Cares.

“It’s nice to see people who I’m close with, to visit with them, but I certainly am enjoying the opportunity to spend more time at home,” he said.

He attributes speculation of a Senate run to Gillibrand, who invoked the idea of a Zeldin challenge in fundraising appeals earlier this year.

“The reason why my name has come up so much is because Sen. Gillibrand can’t get my name out of her mouth,” he said.

But Zeldin has played into the rivalry by mocking Gillibrand as “forgettable,” and the year he’s spent building his political brand has raised inevitable questions about his next steps.

Zeldin may have lost his race for governor, but like Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), he demonstrated a path to victory exists for Republicans in places the party has long written off.

New York has not had a Republican governor since George Pataki, who left office in 2006. A Senate run would be no easier in the deep-blue state.

Zeldin has toured the country since his loss, imparting advice and lessons learned to Republican groups from California to Tennessee. He emphasized public safety in his own campaign at a time when concern for social justice had morphed into fear of rising crime in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests.

“New Yorkers, Long Islanders, have legitimate anxiety about their own safety. And it’s not just when they travel into the five boroughs. It’s on Long Island as well,” Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY), who won Zeldin’s 1st District seat in November, told the Washington Examiner shortly after his election.

“They’ve seen now for a couple of years politicians not having our cops’ backs. Zeldin was the personification of supporting our cops,” he added.

Zeldin has also staked Republican success in the state on growing the party tent. His PAC, announced in March, is focused on turning out voters in black, Hispanic, and other minority neighborhoods.

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Such political action committees are often formed by politicians with aspirations for higher office — one national Republican strategist called it “highly doubtful” he will run for Senate, but other possibilities include a second gubernatorial run in 2026. Yet Zeldin said his formation of the PAC should not be something people read into.

“What you should definitely read into is that I want to help make sure that we’re electing good Republicans across the country,” he said.