New York Republicans support Lee Zeldin in House speaker protest vote
October 17, 2023 04:51 PM
Lee Zeldin may have left Congress to mount a failed run for governor of New York, but a trio of home-state Republicans want him back in the House — this time as speaker.
Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), and Nick LaLota (R-NY) cast their ballots for Zeldin in the first round of voting on Tuesday as Republicans struggle to coalesce around a replacement for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker.
The ballots amounted to a protest vote. Each represents swing districts where the rightward lurch of their conference threatens their seats in the lower chamber next year. The election of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), a hard-right bomb thrower who won the GOP nomination on Friday, would mark a further step in that direction.
Seventeen other Republicans, largely centrists, voted against Jordan, spreading their votes among six names, chief among them McCarthy and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).
But the symbolic choice of Zeldin, who has not expressed any interest in the role, underscores his rising stature within the party after a red wave in New York helped deliver Republicans their House majority last year.
Zeldin ran a stronger-than-expected race for governor in the state, coming within 6 points of unseating Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul on a message of public safety, and his coattails are credited with flipping four seats in the New York delegation.
“Zeldin was the personification of supporting our cops. And I think that put tremendous wind in the sails of everybody else down ballot — probably gave about 5 points to every race, every House race in New York for Republicans,” LaLota, who represents Zeldin’s old seat in New York’s 1st District, told the Washington Examiner earlier this year.
No lawmakers nominated Zeldin for speaker before the first round of voting got underway, but members are free to choose whomever they like on the floor, including those outside of Congress.
Former President Donald Trump floated serving as speaker for a “short period of time,” even raising the idea of a visit to the Capitol, but later passed on a run. He instead endorsed Jordan last week.
Zeldin, who maintains good relations with both centrists and Trumpworld, received the third-most votes of any Republican, behind Scalise at seven and McCarthy at six. Reps. Mike Garcia (R-CA), Tom Emmer (R-MN), Tom Cole (R-OK), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) also received one vote apiece.
Zeldin has yet to find his next landing spot within the Republican Party after his fourth term in Congress expired in January. He mulled and then decided against a run for chairman of the Republican National Committee and has kept open the possibility of running for Senate against Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.
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Republicans are expected to convene on the House floor for a second round of voting for speaker on Tuesday, though Jordan has yet to chip away at the opposition to his candidacy.
He can only afford to lose a few votes to win the gavel.