Rep. Lee Zeldin advisor says Zeldin may run for RNC chair

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), who recently lost against Kathy Hochul in the race for New York’s governorship, has spoken with GOP elected officials and party activists who have asked him to run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, according to his media spokesperson.

Hochul ultimately won with 52.9% of the vote, while Lee Zeldin got 47.1%.

Trump lost New York by 22 percentage points in 2020, so Zeldin’s performance was praised by several Republicans.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) praised Zeldin on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” saying on Sunday: “Even in places where we came up a little bit short, like Lee Zeldin’s race for governor in New York, he performed very well compared to Republicans in recent elections, and he probably helped save the House of Representatives by bringing four new Republican congressmen-elect across the finish line in New York.”

Former New York Andrew Cuomo said that the results should act as a “wake-up call” for Democrats.

“He was a one-issue candidate on crime, and in the parts of the state where crime isn’t really a pressing issue, he didn’t resonate,” Cuomo said during an appearance on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats at Night” radio show with host John Catsimatidis.

“He has received calls from around the country,” John Brabender said on Sunday. “It’s likely that he will at least explore it. … He’s fielding calls, talking to people, listening to them, but it has not gone beyond that.”

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has not made any announcement in regard to whether she will run re-election at the party’s winter meeting in January, nor has Tommy Hicks, who is the co-chair. Under the party’s rules, the most senior posts must be held by a man and a woman.