Lee Zeldin Wins Trump Backing In Close Long Island Congressional Race
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
President Trump endorsed Long Island Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin following a poll showing he is in a tough fight to win reelection.
The president tweeted Wednesday that Zeldin, who represents the eastern end of Long Island, has his “Complete and Total Endorsement!” That comes less than a week after a liberal PAC released a poll showing Jewish Democratic challenger Perry Gershon down by just three points, well within the survey’s 4.9% margin of error.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2018
Gershon fired back on Twitter that the endorsement shows how worried Republicans are about losing the district, which Trump carried by more than 10 points, but Barack Obama narrowly won the previous two elections.
TFW your favorite puppet’s district is slipping away https://t.co/vYFTQL8DBn
— Perry Gershon (@perrygershon) September 26, 2018
The poll showed that support for Trump has plummeted since 2016. Only 42% of people surveyed said they had a favorable view of him compared with 52% with an unfavorable opinion.
Zeldin is still popular within the Republican base but appears to be struggling with independents.
Sensing an opening, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee threw additional support into the race in mid-September.
Gershon is part of a strong crop of Jewish candidates hoping to help Democrats retake the House in November.
EXPLORE ALL THE RACES WITH JEWISH CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES IN OUR INTERACTIVE MAP
Contact Ben Fractenberg at [email protected]
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