At RNC, Zeldin draws the battle lines for November

Daily Point

Lee Zeldin's night in the limelight

As former Rep. Lee Zeldin prepares to address the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Wednesday evening, he’s already getting attention from those within the state — and beyond.

At a gathering of the New York delegation Wednesday morning, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin highlighted Zeldin and his role in the party, locally and nationally.

"I’ve worked with Lee Zeldin. I gotta tell you: Lee Zeldin would have been a much better governor than what you’ve got," Youngkin told a cheering crowd.

Youngkin also emphasized New York’s role in keeping the Republican majority in the House — and did some cheerleading for Mike Sapraicone, who was at the Youngkin event, in his Senate campaign.

"The road to the majority ran through New York and the road to stay in the majority will run through New York," Youngkin said, "And let’s add one more seat to the new majority we’re going to have in our Senate."

Suffolk County GOP chairman Jesse Garcia told The Point that Zeldin is "directly responsible" for the House majority Youngkin celebrated.

"The country is now seeing on full display what everyone in Suffolk County has known since 2010 and what everyone in New York saw in 2022 — that Lee Zeldin and the Republican Party is growing and strong," Garcia said. "Being selfish, I’m proud to watch Suffolk’s favorite son on a national stage, articulating a message of security, strength, safety and affordability."

Zeldin had a seat in the Trump family’s box at the convention on Tuesday night. On Wednesday afternoon, he was the only elected official to appear on the Convention Fest stage outside the arena, where delegates often gather in between official sessions. There, he gave a short preview of his nighttime speech, contrasting the Obama and Biden administrations’ foreign policies with that of Donald Trump. Zeldin also spotlighted the Republican Party’s get-out-the-vote efforts, in conjunction with an organization called America First Works.

"You have to fight for it," Zeldin said. "If we think that Election Day is a one-day event, we have a mindset that will result in us waking up on Election Day having already lost . . . We need to be everywhere, taking nothing for granted, all in, every ounce of our energy, every moment of our day."

Zeldin’s urgency and ubiquity, combined with his prime-time convention speaking spot, only increases the speculation that the former congressman could end up with a Cabinet position or another administration spot if Trump is reelected.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Talking Point

Sapraicone talks Senate campaign

This week in Milwaukee has been a whirlwind for Oyster Bay resident Mike Sapraicone.

It’s his first national convention — and Sapraicone, who is running for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand, has been spending much of it talking to as many people as he can, having conversations with members of the media and delegates, and connecting with other Republicans.

"This is something I never really imagined," Sapraicone told The Point during a quiet moment in his otherwise-busy Wednesday.

Sapraicone said he’s focusing on the issues that have been key to the national party, too, including immigration and inflation. And he argues that the party needs the unity it’s trying to find this week before it can try to unify the nation.

Sapraicone, who was born and raised in Queens, said he is going after the New York City vote as a "city kid," and particularly hopes to win his home borough.

"If I can get my message out, [that] I’m a reasonable person, I’m a person who cares about you, I’m a common sense person, I think I have a good shot there," Sapraicone said.

Sapraicone is hoping to win Long Island, too, though he said he wasn’t taking that for granted.

Observers have said Sapraicone has a tough race ahead, in part because he lacks the name recognition statewide enjoyed by Gillibrand, who has held the seat since 2009. But while Sapraicone said it would be a "challenge," he argued that it was one for which he was ready.

"I don’t look at it as an uphill battle," Sapraicone said. "I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t think I could win . . . I think my biggest challenge is getting out there and getting my name out there."

Despite his confidence, Sapraicone has found some of this week’s moments overwhelming.

"I think, ‘Am I smart enough to do this?’" Sapraicone said. "I sit in rooms now with people I can’t even imagine that I would be in a room with — politicians, governors, the president, and think, ‘Am I OK to sit at that table?’ Then, you take a deep breath for a second and then you realize I wouldn’t be in this position if I wasn’t OK to do this."

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Between a shock and a hard place

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Final Point

Erin King Sweeney attends convention with Cornell students

Among the New Yorkers gathered Wednesday at a Doubletree hotel where the state’s delegation to the Republican National Convention is staying, there was a North Carolinian — a familiar face who hasn’t lived in New York in years.

Former Hempstead Town board member Erin King Sweeney, daughter of former Rep. Pete King, is staying and hanging out with the Empire State’s delegation even though she moved south several years ago. Her father canceled his RNC plans at the last minute due to his wife’s recovery from surgery.

King Sweeney brought a group of seven Cornell University students with her as part of her work as senior associate director of Cornell’s Institute of Politics and Global Affairs. The same group of students will attend the Democratic National Convention alongside former Rep. Steve Israel, who directs the Institute.

"It seems like New York is kind of rocking it," King Sweeney told The Point. "It’s interesting seeing it from a southern perspective. They all know the New York members now . . . I miss being involved a little bit but this reminds you of how all-consuming it is."

King Sweeney said the Cornell group, which includes two students from New York State and others from across the country, received a grant to travel to the convention, a grant that required the project to be bipartisan.

"I really don’t care at the end of the day how they vote but we’ve got to start exposing more students to both sides," she said.

King Sweeney noted that Long Island politics has shifted considerably since her departure in 2019. She pointed to two former colleagues — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Rep. Anthony D’Esposito — who’ve ascended to positions of power in the county since their time on the town board.

"It’s great to see them on the national stage," King Sweeney said.

That, Pete King told The Point via phone from Long Island, also marks a significant change from when he started in local politics.

"I go back to the days when nobody cared about New York and about Long Island as far as the national party was concerned," King said. "Long Island basically gave Republicans the majority . . . and now they’re making an impact."

King said his daughter is still in the thick of Long Island politics — even from afar.

"Despite what she says, she’s never left Nassau County," King said. "She must call me two times every day to talk about Nassau County politics."

So, would King Sweeney want to return to her roots — and perhaps even join the Nassau GOP scene once more?

"No. I’m happy down south," King Sweeney said.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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