GARDEN CITY – Just after he overwhelmingly won the Republican endorsement for governor at the party convention Tuesday, Rep. Lee Zeldin offered poignant words of encouragement to the more than 400 assembled delegates.
"Let's be unified!" he shouted.
And from the looks and results of the Republican State Convention at the Garden City Hotel over the past two days, Zeldin appears in command of his GOP. More than 85% of the convention backed his candidacy during Tuesday's roll call count. So did party leaders for almost the past year. And the Iraq War veteran now launches his campaign against incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul or some other Democrat in anticipation of major Republican gains across the country.
But the New York Republican Party, at least in the eyes of three other governor hopefuls, leaves the convention far from unified. Harry Wilson, the financier and 2010 candidate for comptroller, promises to spend $12 million of his own money during the primary and general election. Former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino claims a statewide network ready to reprise his unsuccessful effort against then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2014. And former Trump administration official Andrew Giuliani claims at least widespread name recognition courtesy of his famous father, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
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Indeed, nobody can recall a four-way Republican primary for governor, and the GOP has not featured an intramural clash since Carl P. Paladino and Rick A. Lazio in 2010. But state Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy insists other candidates are a long way from collecting the 15,000 petition signatures needed to join Zeldin on the primary ballot, and that there is no question the Suffolk County congressman dominated the party conclave.
"This organization spoke loudly today in favor of Congressman Zeldin," Langworthy said, noting that the Suffolk County congressman now counts $8 million in his campaign treasury – the most since George E. Pataki in 2002.
Despite the high energy and optimism of the convention, however, Zeldin or whoever emerges as the Republican nominee faces a tough assignment against Hochul. She enjoys all the advantages of incumbency, an approximate 3 million advantage in Democratic enrollment, and more than $20 million in her campaign treasury.
Now Zeldin begins facing questions, such as over his House vote against certifying President Biden's election. He says the issue fails to dominate New Yorkers' voting plans.
"This will be about being able to live here, live safely, and being fully able to keep money in our pockets," he said.
Earlier, he told the convention he would back familiar conservative themes such as protecting the rights of school children during Covid-19 restrictions, term limits and voter ID for elections.
"These solutions are not complicated," he said. "They're common sense."
When all of the candidates' positions were aired over the past two days, few differences surfaced (except maybe on to what degree each supports former President Donald Trump). Each railed against one-party rule in Albany, about the soaring cost of gasoline and groceries and about rising crime rates across the state. But now each will fan out across New York, with Wilson possessing the most wherewithall to make his case.
He told the convention Tuesday that the concepts of "freedom, opportunity and safety" form his core principles. He promised a "massive turnaround" of how Albany functions as soon as assuming office. His analysis, he said, will center around one question: "Does this make the lives of New Yorkers better?"
"If yes, it stays," he said of regulations he will study. "If not, we strip it away."
And possibly hinting at the influence his vast personal fortune can play, Wilson aims to duplicate his close race for comptroller in 2010 – the closest any Republican has come to winning statewide since Gov. George E. Pataki in 2002.
"We'll get the support, we'll just have to work at it," he told reporters, noting he has already hired a firm to canvass the state for petition signatures, adding he will emphasize that his ability to "turn around" troubled companies can be applied in Albany, too.
Wilson continues to perplex much of the state GOP hierarchy after refusing past entreaties to run for governor, and only reviving his interest in January after leaders had committed to Zeldin. But he noted that he still believes the party is "desperate for change."
"So I think someone from the outside the system to drive change is exactly what we need," he said, adding that "losing this race is not an option."
Giuliani, meanwhile, also told delegates of the need to repeal new laws allowing cashless bail reform and to "make sure we end this war on cops."
He noted he leads in several Siena College polls of Republicans, though Langworthy took issue with his claim, noting none were head to head matchups.
Astorino, meanwhile, failed to gain his party's support this year after emerging as its nominee in 2014, winning support mainly from his home county of Westchester. He too cited crime, inflation and Hochul's association with Cuomo as key elements of his planned campaign. He told The Buffalo News he envisions little trouble gaining the statewide support to qualify for the ballot, noting no need to hire workers to gather signatures because of an "army of volunteers" already familiar with him, as well as a strong base in his native Hudson Valley.
Tuesday also resulted in the nomination of former NYPD Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito as Zeldin's running mate, who is expected to offer a stark contrast against incumbent Democratic Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin. Republicans at the convention labeled him the "poster child" for the "defund the police" movement."
Esposito was unanimously backed on Tuesday, and immediately set the tone by noting she will focus repealing new and liberalized bail laws while supporting police efforts across the state.
She sprinkled several key phrases – such as "back the blue" – throughout her speech, adding she will join Zeldin in fighting crime while lambasting Democrats over rising crime rates and several cases capturing media attention, especially in the New York City subway. And she criticized a "false narrative that has turned cops into enemies."
"It stops now," she said.
Esposito called for criminals to be held accountable and for Albany to roll back new laws passed under total Democratic rule.
"Judges need to be able to weigh dangerous and past criminal records when they impose sentences and bail," she said.
