NEW YORK – Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who in last year's midterm election ran a closer-than-expected but ultimately unsuccessful campaign for New York's governor, backed former President Donald Trump on Monday, becoming the latest current or former Republican lawmaker to endorse the ex-president ahead of the 2024 primary.
“The GOP is filled with amazing talent to save our country from the failed policies of the Biden Admin,” Zeldin tweeted Monday afternoon. “Our nominee in 2024 will be the 45th & 47th POTUS, Donald Trump. Our economy will be stronger, our streets will be safer, & our lives will be freer. He has my full support!”
Zeldin, who lost his gubernatorial race in November to incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, represented his Long Island district in Congress from 2015 until earlier this year after he left to run for governor.
He has supported Trump since his 2016 presidential bid and voted to overturn the 2020 election results. Zeldin distanced himself from the former president during his gubernatorial campaign in heavily anti-Trump New York.
The former representative held one fundraiser with Trump out of state in September, at the former president's New Jersey resort. The ex-president endorsed him a few weeks before the election.
Following the gubernatorial loss, Zeldin, who has been the top-ranked Jewish Republican in the country, joined the board of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
Return to the Trump camp
Zeldin’s endorsement signals his return to the Trump camp at a time when Trump’s 2024 presidential bid appears to be gaining steam, despite the former president’s indictment on charges related to his alleged role in a payoff to an adult film star who claims they had a sexual encounter. Trump is outperforming his presumptive rivals in polls, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had been viewed as a strong competitor, is dropping.
DeSantis was in Japan at the time of Zeldin's announcement, where he met with the prime minister. Asked on his trip about getting crushed in the polls against Trump, DeSantis replied, "I'm not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes."
Jackie Hajdenberg/JTA contributed to this report.