Gillibrand campaign looks at Zeldin as potential Senate opponent

ALBANY — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's campaign team is anticipating a "tough reelection fight" next year and suggesting the two-term incumbent Democrat could face a challenge from former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Long Island Republican who ran a competitive race for governor. 

"Zeldin very nearly won the New York governorship in the 2022 midterms, all while New York Republicans had their best election cycle in two decades — flipping enough House seats red to retake the majority," Gillibrand's campaign team said in a fundraising email pitch to prospective supporters on Wednesday.  

Zeldin's gubernatorial opponent, Gov. Kathy Hochul, has rejected the idea that she "very nearly won." Hochul defeated Zeldin by about six percentage points, or 317,000 votes. The last time a Republican defeated an incumbent Democrat in a gubernatorial race in New York was when George E. Pataki defeated Mario M. Cuomo in 1994. 

Zeldin garnered turnout at levels normally seen during a presidential race from the state's Republican base while Democrats voted at relatively low rates, especially in New York City, according to a Times Union analysis of election data. State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs has rebuffed the characterization: "Data demonstrates that we did not underperform." 

Hochul became the first woman elected governor and the first successful gubernatorial candidate from upstate New York in a century. 

The Gillibrand team, which recently kicked off its 2024 reelection campaign, pointed to remarks from the former Long Island congressman aimed at her. Zeldin was responding to a tweet that had Gillibrand stating that if Zeldin ran against her: "I will beat him." 

"Tough talk from New York’s laziest and most forgettable senator in generations," Zeldin said in a tweet. 

Like he did on the gubernatorial campaign trail, Zeldin offered a derogatory nickname for a potential opponent. In the tweet, he described Gillibrand, who has been in the U.S. Senate since 2009, as "Senator What’s Her Name."

But beyond the social media jabs, Republican sources close to Zeldin said there are discussions ongoing within the party about a potential Senate run against Gillibrand next year.

Gillibrand has focused her recent legislative efforts on stopping the flow of illegal firearms and overhauling the U.S. military's handling of sexual assault cases. Earlier in her political career, she championed legislation to repeal a military policy that had led to thousands of service members being discharged due to their sexual orientation.

Gillibrand's reelection bid is scheduled to take place during a presidential election cycle that tends to benefit her party in a state that has a substantial Democratic enrollment advantage over Republicans. Gillibrand ran for president in 2020 but has said she does not intend to run for the position again next year; she is offering her support to President Joe Biden. 

"If the (Democratic) enrollment advantage was 2 million, that wouldn’t be enough," Zeldin said. "She’d be toast."

Gillibrand's team, in the fundraising email, said she will not accept funding from corporate political action committees, which is why they say they are focusing on grassroots fundraising to help them to "defeat right-wing Republicans like Zeldin and keep her must-win seat blue."

A Republican has not held a seat as U.S. senator in New York since Al D'Amato, who was in the office from 1981 to 1998. He was defeated by now-Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer.

The state has not had both U.S. Senate seats held by Republicans since 1976, when Sens. James L. Buckley and Jacob Javits were in office; both seats were occupied by Republicans between late 1968, following the death of Democratic Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and 1977, when Daniel Patrick Moynihan took office.