USA TODAY International Edition
Endangered GOP congressman has no fear
LEE ZELDIN, IN THE MIDST OF A HEATED RE- ELECTION CAMPAIGN, IS ONE OF THE FEW AT- RISK LAWMAKERS TO COME TO CLEVELAND TO BACK TRUMP.
Rep. Lee Zeldin doesn’t agree with colleagues who warn that the Republican National Convention is far too risky a place to be for a member of Congress facing a tough re- election battle.
The 36- year- old first- term congressman from New York is one of 11 House Republicans whose re- election race is rated a “toss up” by the non- partisan Cook Political Re
port, but he is the only one attending the convention. The 10 other House members on that endangered list chose to stay home and campaign, sidestepping any controversy generated by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and his supporters in Cleveland.
But Zeldin said he sees the convention as an opportunity to be part of setting his party’s agenda on important issues from national security to economic growth. And he has no problem showing public support for the billionaire businessman.
“I’m someone who believes if you sit on the sidelines, you’re helping elect Hillary Clinton,” Zeldin said, referring to the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. “I care too much about my country’s security and future to do that.”
Zeldin’s Democratic opponent, former Southampton town supervisor Anna Throne- Holst, said the congressman should not have come to Cleveland.
“Lee Zeldin should be focusing on his constituents here on Long Island, not ‘ partying’ in Cleveland,” she said in a statement. “Zeldin is once again putting his own political ambition before Long Island.”
Zeldin has embraced Trump’s candidacy while many Republican congressional leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R- Wis., have offered reluctant endorsements, at best. Ryan said Monday in Cleveland that Trump is “not my kind of conservative.”
Of nine Republican senators considered vulnerable to defeat, only one — Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin — spoke at the convention. Another, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, made brief appearances at the event because it was in his home state.
For vulnerable Republicans, it’s safer to stay home, said John Green, a professor of political science at the University of Akron.
“It’s much easier to say ‘ I want to stay home with my constituents’ than to take the risk of going to a convention with a controversial nominee who may alienate some voters,” Green said. “Very few people will fault you for staying home.”
On the other hand, Green said, members of Congress who attend conventions may benefit from fundraising opportunities or from the press attention they receive.
“The key thing, whatever you decide, is to have a good explanation for why you’re doing what you’re doing,” he said.
If Trump wins the presidency, he is likely to look favorably on Republican members of Congress who came to the convention and supported him enthusiastically, said Paul Beck, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State University.
However, the lawmakers who avoided the convention will be in a better position to make the case that they are independent of Trump if his support among voters tanks in November, Beck said.
Zeldin said he doesn’t agree with Trump on everything, but believes Trump would be a strong leader. He also noted that more than 70% of voters in his district voted for Trump in the Republican primary election in April.
“You’re never going to find that absolute perfect candidate,” said Zeldin, who opposes Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the U. S. “This race is between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. For me, that is a no- brainer.”
Electing a strong commander in chief with a clear military strategy is especially important to Zeldin, who served on active duty in the Army for four years as a military intelligence officer, attorney and military magistrate. Zeldin, who was deployed to Iraq in 2006 with an infantry battalion of paratroopers, now serves as a major in the Army Reserves.
Zeldin is spending much of his time at the convention with New York delegates as they attend events and gather on the convention floor to cheer the keynote speakers. On Tuesday, he moderated a Republican Jewish Coalition event featuring a panel discussion on foreign policy by former House speaker Newt Gingrich, former diplomat John Bolton and Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer. Zeldin is the only Jewish Republican in Congress.
The congressman said he hopes the convention will help heal the divisions in the GOP that resulted from the contentious primary season. “It’s important for the Republican Party to leave here as strong and united as possible,” he said.