Officials: Lee Zeldin reelected to House after lengthy ballot count
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) has been reelected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Suffolk officials said. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
ALBANY — Rep. Lee Zeldin of Shirley has held on to win his fourth term in Congress, according to Suffolk County elections officials who have been counting thousands of mailed-in absentee ballots.
The Republican ally of President Donald Trump defeated Democrat Nancy Goroff, a Stony Brook University scientist, in the 1st Congressional District. Zeldin led by 64,620 votes out of more than 285,000 votes cast on machines in early voting and on the traditional Election Day, Nov. 3, but 89,803 mailed votes had yet to be counted.
On Monday, the Zeldin lead exceeded the number of absentee votes still to be counted, said Nick LaLota, Republican commissioner of the county Board of Elections.
The counting of absentee ballots continues in several races including the 4th Assembly District contest between Assemb. Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) and Republican Michael Ross of Setauket, and the 1st state Senate District race between Democrat Laura Ahearn of Port Jefferson and Republican Assemb. Anthony Palumbo of New Suffolk for the seat long held by Sen. Kenneth LaValle, a Republican who is retiring.
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
