“You will see a great contrast here tonight between myself and my record, and someone who has been called one of Donald Trump’s strongest and most loyal supporters,” Hochul said in her opening statement.
Although Zeldin has tried to downplay his support of Trump, the Republican was among the first members of Congress to voice support for his 2016 presidential campaign and was one of the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Zeldin also messaged then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on ways he could help Trump discredit the results.
“Zeldin’s biggest liability in [New York state] is his support of former President Trump and his overall election denialism,” Carolyn Abott, political science professor at Baruch College, told Newsweek.
Trump also backed Zeldin this month, although the congressman said the endorsement “shouldn’t have been news,” pointing to Trump’s support for his campaign before the October 16 statement.
Abott said that getting Zeldin to discuss his ties to Trump on live television could help Hochul by making him less appealing to voters, particularly “independent voters and registered Republicans who have not yet decided who to vote for.”
Check out everything the congressman said about the former president and efforts to overturn the 2020 election on Tuesday night:
‘Is Donald Trump a Great President?’
In a brazen exchange, Hochul asked Zeldin, “Yes or no: Is Donald Trump a great president?”
Without saying yes or no, the Republican congressman said he worked closely with Trump on a number of accomplishments in Long Island, including efforts to combat criminal MS-13, to secure funding for the construction of an electron-ion collider and to obtain additional personal protective equipment and COVID testing during the pandemic.
“I’ll take that as a resounding yes,” Hochul said in response.
Zeldin’s Vote Against Certifying the 2020 Election
On Tuesday, Zeldin was questioned about his congressional vote against certifying the results in Arizona and Pennsylvania—both of which President Joe Biden prevailed in narrow victories.
Pointing to the dozens of court rulings that found no widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, moderators asked Zeldin if he would have made the same decision if he were to do it again “knowing what you know now.”
The congressman defended his decision saying, “The issue still remains today.”
“Election integrity should always matter,” Zeldin said. “I believe that we should have voter ID in our state. I believe that we should have voter ID in all 50 states. I oppose ballot harvesting. I believe that we have a principle of one person, one vote, and that is a principle that belongs to a United States citizen.”
Although he doubled down on his vote, he emphasized that “it’s about looking forwards, not backwards.”
“What’s important, looking forward, is making sure that whether it’s 2022, ‘24, 2032, we should always care whether your candidate comes in first or second about election integrity,” Zeldin said.
Trump 2024
Asked by debate moderators whether he wanted to see Trump run for White House again in the next presidential election, Zeldin said he’s “not even thinking about it.”
“I’m focused on 14 days from today, defeating Kathy Hochul and saving New York state,” he said.
Will Zeldin Accept a Defeat Against Hochul?
The Republican candidate’s election denialism has become “hands-down the most concerning aspects of Zeldin,” Abott said.
In an interview with the The New York Times last week, Zeldin was asked seven times if he denied the legitimacy of Biden’s 2020 win before he said he did not.
“At no point have I ever called, have you ever heard the word come out of my mouth, have I ever said that the election of Joe Biden is illegitimate,” the congressman said.
On Tuesday, Zeldin was asked whether he would abide by the results of the governor’s race even if he were to lose the election against Hochul.
“Well, first off, losing is not an option,” an agitated Zeldin responded. “Secondly, playing along with your hypothetical question, of course.”
