OPINION:
There’s an old saying: “Sometimes when you lose a battle you find a new way to win the war.” I couldn’t help but think of this when I saw former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin triumphantly walking back into the House of Representatives just prior to President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress this week.
In 2021 — Zeldin, a four-term congressman from Long Island — threw caution to the wind by putting his personal undefeated 6-0 election record on the line to challenge the mighty New York Democratic machine for governor in the bluest of blue states. Although the electoral outcome didn’t turn out as he wanted it, Zeldin’s hard work brought the decision within the margin of error.
But the real moral victory was that because of his ferocious campaigning around the state, he is widely credited with flipping three upstate seats, which ultimately gave the GOP control of the House.
Undoubtedly, President Trump noticed that Zeldin is a heavyweight in the Republican Party and appointed him as head of the prestigious Environmental Protection Agency. Something tells me we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Zeldin in the post-Trump era as he carves his own path to what Ronald Reagan would call his “rendezvous with destiny.”
STEVE LOURO
Nissequogue, New York
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