Exclusive: New York Rep. Lee Zeldin Won’t Rule Out Gubernatorial Run, Says Cuomo Scandals Threaten Single-Party Rule in State

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) would not rule out campaigning for governorship of New York when asked on Tuesday if he would consider running against Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) by Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow.

Zeldin joined Marlow on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily to discuss calls from some Democrats for Cuomo to resign following new accusations of sexual harassment against the New York governor.

Marlow asked, “Are you considering running [for governor of New York]?”

Zeldin replied, “We shall see what is ahead for us over the course of these coming weeks and this next year and a half. I know for sure one thing, that I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure that Andrew Cuomo doesn’t get a fourth term. That I can tell you with absolute certainty.”

Marlow responded, “Well, that is not a no, which is very cool.”

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Zeldin described New Yorkers’ growing dissatisfaction with Cuomo’s governorship as an opportunity for conservatives to change the political status quo in the Empire State.

“Every level of [New York’s] government — New York City, Albany, D.C. — is all one-party Democratic rule,” Zeldin stated. “So there might be a big blowback against what we’re seeing [with Cuomo] on many levels in favor of Republicans.”

Zeldin said, “Some Democrats are absolutely fed up with Andrew Cuomo, and you have people who will talk about their loss of freedoms. Maybe their kids aren’t back fully in school, or their small business isn’t open, or their taxes are too much and their family’s moving away, or the public safety has been eroded between cashless bail or the defund the police movement out of New York City.”

In February, Cuomo’s top aide admitted that the governor’s office withheld the number of deaths related to the Chinese coronavirus in New York nursing homes to shield the Cuomo government from federal investigation and political scrutiny.

Regarding the Cuomo administration’s nursing home scandal, Zeldin said, “there was a decision point, and if you’re the governor, you can decide to own up to it, to show remorse, to change policy, very publicly be transparent with information, and try to move on from there, but instead the play call was to cover it up.”

“So many Democrats [and] New Yorkers resoundly across the spectrum are deciding it’s time for [Cuomo] to go,” Zeldin added.

“Democrats have decided that they had enough of [Cuomo],” Zeldin said. “The life expectancy for the bullying, the harassment, the intimidation, and the abuse appears to be about ten years in the governor’s office for him. He never built up any reservoir of goodwill.”

Zeldin continued, “What’s coming to light now feels like it’s just a sampling of what may come in the future, and all of that on top of what was a deadly nursing home policy that resulted in a cover-up. New Yorkers have had enough. There were a whole lot of people who already decided that Cuomo’s got to go, but what’s different now is you have a lot of Democrats [calling for Cuomo’s removal].”