Rep. Lee Zeldin Announces Run For Governor Of New York
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin announced his candidacy for governor of New York on Thursday with an attack on incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is the subject of investigations over sexual harassment allegations and COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents.
"The bottom line is this; to save New York, Andrew Cuomo's gotta go," Zeldin, a fourth-term Congress member from Long Island, said in a news release.
Zeldin, 41, has represented New York's 1st congressional district, which covers most of Central and Eastern Suffolk County, since 2015. He served two terms in the state Senate before that.
Cuomo, who has not announced a run for a fourth term as governor in 2022, is facing allegations that he sexually harassed or behaved inappropriately toward several women. He has resisted calls to resign over the harassment claims and his administration's handling of COVID-19 cases in nursing homes during the height of the pandemic last year.
Other Republicans who have said they are considering seeking the Republican nomination for New York governor include Andrew Giuiliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a former aide in the Trump administration.
Zeldin, an Army veteran and a loyal ally to former President Donald Trump, did not mention Trump in his statement announcing his gubernatorial run.
