In 2022, New York State had its most competitive election in over a decade. In recent years, downstate New York has grown more consistently Democratic in state and local elections, leaving Republicans on the margins of the state’s political debates. A similar pattern has taken hold in other dense urban areas throughout the country, in states blue and red. But in November, Congressman Lee Zeldin ran a forthrightly conservative Republican gubernatorial campaign that made deep inroads in downstate New York, including in the diverse outer boroughs of New York City.

During a fireside chat, Congressman Zeldin sat down with Manhattan Institute President Reihan Salam to offer a fresh perspective on the public safety and economic issues that came to the forefront of his campaign for governor, as well as a way forward for conservatives in a more politically competitive New York State.

Lee Zeldin has served as the U.S. Representative for New York’s First Congressional District since 2014 and was the 2022 Republican nominee for Governor of New York. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 2010, representing New York's 3rd Senate District. Congressman Zeldin serves on two Committees in the House of Representatives: Financial Services and Foreign Affairs, where he serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. In 2007, Congressman Zeldin transitioned from active duty to the Army Reserve, where he currently serves as a lieutenant colonel.