Congressman Zeldin Opens Up Massive 31 Point Lead Over Potential GOP Primary Field

NEW YORK – A new statewide survey of 400 likely Republican primary election voters in New York State, taken March 8-13, 2022, found Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), the Republican Party and Conservative Party designee for Governor, has now opened up a massive 31 point lead over any potential Republican primary opponents in a hypothetical Republican primary. This comes on the heels of a poll earlier this week that found Congressman Zeldin had taken the lead over Governor Kathy Hochul by 1.5 points in the general election matchup.

As the official designee of the Republican Party, after receiving over 85% of the vote at this month’s New York State Republican Party Convention, Congressman Zeldin is currently the only candidate on the ballot. All other potential candidates still need to collect and submit enough valid petition signatures to qualify for a Republican Party primary ballot.

Congressman Zeldin also received the unanimous endorsement of the New York State Conservative Party at its convention last month and will be on the Conservative Party line for Governor for the November 8, 2022, election.

“For almost a full year now, I have campaigned in every county of our state multiple times, received tens of thousands of grassroots donations, had thousands of New Yorkers sign up to volunteer, and have earned the trust and support of countless hardworking New Yorkers who are hitting their breaking point and seriously thinking about fleeing,” said Congressman Zeldin. “I will not be outworked in this rescue mission to Save Our State. It’s impossible. I’m all in and I have a grassroots army of fed up New Yorkers who are with me to do our part to reverse the attacks on our wallets, safety, freedom and kids’ education.”

Since the beginning of February 2022, Congressman Zeldin has also been airing television and radio ads throughout New York.

Since 2010, Congressman Zeldin has won 7 consecutive races in purple New York City suburban districts, including a primary by over 20 points despite over $4 million spent against him. He flipped a State Senate seat in 2010 that was held by a Democrat incumbent whose family held office in that area for thirty years and then flipped a House seat in 2014 that was held by a Democrat for the prior twelve years.

McLaughlin & Associates, which has always served as Congressman Zeldin’s pollster with precise, consistent accuracy for every one of his campaigns, completed the statewide survey of 400 likely Republican primary election voters in New York State.

McLaughlin & Associates has decades of experience polling in New York and, in 2021, did the polling for the upset victories of Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and the Conservative Party victories to defeat statewide Propositions 1, 3 and 4.

Topline Survey Results: 

  • On a head to head ballot, Zeldin currently leads by 31-points to his next closest potential competitors:

    • Zeldin 45%

    • Astorino 14%

    • Giuliani 14%

    • Wilson 7%

    • 20% undecided

  • Biden has a 95% disapproval rating

  • Hochul has a 85% disapproval rating

  • 22% of likely GOP primary voters say taxes is their top issue (#1 issue)

  • 20% of likely GOP primary voters say crime is their top issue (#2 issue)

Unlike some other polls that have been publicly released in this race for Governor, which sample Republicans who are likely voters in the general election, this survey only samples Republicans who are likely Republican primary voters. Congressman Zeldin’s name recognition and favorability are higher in polls that are narrowed down to likely Republican Party primary voters.

Methodology: This New York Statewide survey of 400 Likely Republican Primary election voters was conducted between March 8 – 13, 2022.

Interviews were conducted via telephone by professional interviewers, as well as online interviews. Interview selection was random within predetermined election units.

Twenty-nine percent (29%) of interviews were completed on traditional landlines, 35% were conducted on cell-phones and 37% of interviews were conducted via text message, which linked to a secure online platform.

These samples were then combined and structured to correlate with actual voter turnout in a Republican primary election. This poll of 400 likely Republican primary election voters in New York State has an accuracy of +/- 4.9% at a 95% confidence interval.

###

About Lee Zeldin

Lee Zeldin was born and raised on Long Island. He grew up in Suffolk County and graduated from William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, where his identical twin daughters attend school today. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany and then his law degree from Albany Law School, becoming New York’s youngest attorney at the time at the age of 23.

Lee spent four years on Active Duty with the U.S. Army after completing ROTC and served in different capacities, including as a Military Intelligence Officer, Prosecutor, and Military Magistrate. In the summer of 2006, while assigned to the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division, Lee deployed to Iraq with an infantry battalion of fellow paratroopers in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In 2007, Lee returned to Suffolk County with his family. It was at this time that Lee transitioned from Active Duty to the Army Reserve, where he currently serves with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

In 2008, Lee established a successful law practice in Smithtown, NY. Elected to the New York State Senate two years later, in 2010, Lee’s been working hard every day since to keep the promises he made to the hard-working families he represents.

In the State Senate, Lee:

  • Led the successful effort to repeal the MTA Payroll Tax for 80 percent of employers, a job killing tax that was hurting small businesses. 

  • Cosponsored the nation’s strongest property tax cap, which became law.

  • Reduced middle-income tax rates in New York to the lowest level in 60 years.

  • Secured the repeal of the Saltwater Fishing License Fee.

  • Created the PFC Joseph Dwyer Veteran Peer Support Program to help our returning veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). 

  • Authored the law to protect our fallen veterans and their families from protests at military burials. 

Lee was then elected to the United States Congress in 2014, representing New York’s First Congressional District, and has now won seven consecutive races since 2010 in purple NYC suburban districts, unseating two Democrat incumbents along the way. In Congress, Lee quickly became a leading voice in America on top local, domestic and foreign policy issues: 

  • Combating and defeating MS-13 on Long Island, leading the charge in New York and nationally against cashless bail, opposing all efforts to defund, dismantle or abolish police, and providing law enforcement the resources they need to fight gang violence and other crimes in our communities, including bulletproof vests.

  • Securing the repeal of many harmful, job killing regulations, with the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, and many other initiatives, to improve our business climate and grow our economy. 

  • Leading the charge to end all COVID mandates. 

  • Saving Plum Island, by securing the repeal of a 2008 federal law requiring the island to be sold off to the highest bidder. 

  • Delivering a $1.5 billion boost in border security resources, helping to choke off the flow of illegal migration across our borders. 

  • Introducing and passing into law his Adult Day Health Care legislation for disabled veterans and opening a new health care clinic for East End veterans.

  • Delivering the Electron Ion Collider “discovery machine” to Brookhaven National Lab that will enable advancements in national security, medical and cancer research, astrophysics, and more and create an extensive number of jobs. 

  • Advancing his law enforcement bill of rights, which would help ensure that our great law enforcement officers and the people they serve are protected.

  • Championing the expansion of the Dwyer Program nationally, to help all of our nation’s veterans access the resources they need. 

  • Securing much needed support of treatment, enforcement, and prevention for those affected by the heroin and opioid abuse crisis.

  • Leading the effort against the fatally flawed Iran Nuclear Deal.

  • Co-authoring a bipartisan resolution (H.Res. 246) that passed the House opposing the anti-Israel and antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

  • Working with the Army Corps of Engineers to protect our coastlines, advancing the ambitious Fire Island to Montauk Point project, in addition to several other vital projects on the north and south shores of Long Island.

  • Co-Chairing the Long Island Sound Caucus and advancing top priorities for the Long Island Sound Program, National Estuary Program and SeaGrant.

  • Co-chairing, as one of only two Jewish Republicans in Congress, the House Republican Israel Caucus, and serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Financial Services Committee, as well as four House Subcommittees.

  • Successfully resolving over 17,000 constituent cases in favor of his constituents.

Lee and his wife, Diana, reside in Shirley with their twin fifteen-year old daughters, Mikayla and Arianna.