Will Too Much Love From Trump Be a Bad Thing for a Long Island Congressman? [View all]
SETAUKET, N.Y. — When he took office in 2015, Lee M. Zeldin wasted no time in carving out a reputation as a conservative firebrand in Congress, taking caustic, hard-line positions against the Obama administration and for Israel.
The next year, when Donald Trump ran for president, Mr. Zeldin became an ardent supporter, establishing a relationship that has since paid dividends for the Republican congressman from Suffolk County, N.Y., on Long Island.
Mr. Trump has twice visited Long Island to bring attention to the problem of MS-13, a transnational gang that has terrorized the area, and highlight the need for tougher immigration laws.
When Mr. Zeldin kicked off his re-election campaign in June, two former Trump White House officials — Sebastian Gorka and Sean Spicer — were there. Mr. Trump was not, but he has since endorsed Mr. Zeldin, saying in a Twitter post last month that he was “doing a fantastic job.”
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Congressman Lee Zeldin is doing a fantastic job in D.C. Tough and smart, he loves our Country and will always be there to do the right thing. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!
1:34 PM - Sep 26, 2018
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The question, however, is whether too much love from Mr. Trump will be a bad thing for Mr. Zeldin.
His Democratic opponent, Perry Gershon, is a first-time candidate, like many of the Democrats challenging incumbent Republican House members in New York.
Only two of the races statewide are considered tossups; most of the newcomers fall in the long-shot category. Political prognosticators characterize the Zeldin-Gershon race as “likely Republican,” perhaps because the First Congressional District has 16,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/nyregion/lee-zeldin-trump-support.html?
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