Lee Zeldin

Lee Zeldin
Official portrait, 2017
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 1st district
In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Tim Bishop
Succeeded by	Nick LaLota
Member of the New York State Senate from the 3rd district
In office January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2014
Preceded by	Brian X. Foley
Succeeded by	Thomas Croci
Personal details
Born	Lee Michael Zeldin (1980-01-30) January 30, 1980 (age 44) East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Diana Gidish
Children	2
Relatives	Isaiah Zeldin (uncle)
Education	University at Albany, SUNY (BA) Albany Law School (JD)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	2003–2007 (active) 2007–present (reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant colonel

Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and officer in the United States Army Reserve. A member of the Republican Party, he represented New York's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023. He represented the eastern two-thirds of Suffolk County, including most of Smithtown, all of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, Shelter Island, and a small part of Islip. From 2011 to 2014, Zeldin served as a member of the New York State Senate from the 3rd Senate district.

During Donald Trump's presidency, Zeldin was a Trump ally. He prominently defended Trump during his first impeachment hearings concerning the Trump–Ukraine scandal. In April 2021, Zeldin announced his candidacy for governor of New York in 2022.^[1] He defeated three challengers in the Republican primary, becoming the nominee of the Republican Party and the Conservative Party. Zeldin lost the election to incumbent governor Kathy Hochul while receiving the highest percentage of the vote for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 2002 and the highest raw vote total for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 1970.^[2]