U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin officially declared his candidacy for the 2022 New York governor’s race Thursday, presenting Governor Andrew Cuomo as the cause of the state’s problems and himself as the solution.
“I’ll bring the kind of relentless, fighting spirit towards helping to save our state that Cuomo reserves for multimillion-dollar self-congratulatory book deals, cover-ups, abuse, and self-dealing,” Zeldin said in a statement.
The four-term Long Island congressman and staunch Trump supporter claimed that New Yorkers are leaving the state as a result of “one-party Democrat rule in NYC and Albany.”
“The New York that was once a magnet for the world’s best and brightest is now forcing its own to leave under the crushing weight of skyrocketing taxes, lost jobs, suffocating regulations, and rising crime resulting from dangerously liberal policies,” Zeldin said.
“At the helm of New York’s downfall is Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose disgraceful and deadly nursing-home order and cover-up is part of a long line of scandals, lies, and harassment,” the congressman continued. “Cuomo has abused the power and trust granted to him and it is time for him to immediately exit stage left.”
Zeldin’s announcement comes just a day after Andrew Giuliani, the son of Rudy Giuliani, signaled his intentions to run for the Republican nomination as well. Giuliani previously worked in the Trump administration as special assistant to the president and associate director of the Office of Public Liaison.
Suffolk County Republican chair Jesse Garcia and Nassau County Republican chair Joseph Cairo announced their support for the Long Island congressman’s campaign.
“If we’re going to turn this ship around, we need Lee Zeldin at the helm. Lee is a veteran, former prosecutor, family man, and lifelong New Yorker who will work hard and effectively to reverse Albany’s attacks on our wallets, our safety, and our freedoms,” Garcia said.
Cairo said that Zeldin is “not just a man of action. He’s a man of results.”
It remains to be see if Cuomo will ultimately opt to run for a fourth gubernatorial term after being at the center of several controversies including sexual harassment accusations, reports of favoritism with COVID-19 testing, and miscounting of nursing-home deaths during the pandemic.
