“I’m running for governor in 2022, and we’re going to win this race," Rep. Lee Zeldin announced Thursday on "FOX & Friends."

The congressman made official his bid for the Republican nomination for governor.

He sees an opening created by the scandals that have weakened Governor Andrew Cuomo politically.

What You Need To Know

  • Zeldin is a four-term congressman representing eastern Long Island

  • He is a staunch defender of Trump, voting against 2020 election certification in Arizona and Pennsylvania

  • Zeldin in his campaign launch condemns Cuomo's scandals as well as state budget

He also criticized progressive policies in the new state budget like increased taxes on the wealthy and aid for undocumented workers.

Zeldin, of Long Island’s Suffolk County, is a fierce defender of Donald Trump. And he chose the former president’s favorite morning show to announce he’s running.

“I’m all in. We’re all in. Losing is not an option. And we have to turn things around," he told "FOX & Friends."

Notably, Zeldin didn’t mention Trump in that Fox News interview, his launch video or his tweets Thursday about his campaign.

In reliably Democratic New York, his chances at the statehouse may be slim.

George Pataki was the last Republican to win statewide in 2002.

Last year, Zeldin won a fourth term in his purple district with a margin of less than 10 points.

But he’s appealing to voters seeking an alternative to Cuomo.

“We can raise the white flag and surrender to mediocrity, corruption, cover-ups, more job losses and even higher taxes," he says in a video released by his campaign, continuing: “Or we can roll up our sleeves and get to work to save our state.” 

The congressman is a lawyer who served in Iraq with the U.S. Army. He now serves with the Army Reserves.

He enters a primary that could include Duchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Andrew Giuliani, son of Trump’s former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

The younger Giuliani floated a possible run earlier this week.

Zeldin had a speaking role at last year’s Republican convention nominating Trump.

He then voted against certifying the presidential election results in two states despite Trump supporters' violent storming of the U.S. Capitol.

And as recently as last month, he declined to acknowledge President Biden had won.

“Yeah, Joe Biden’s the president of the United States," Zeldin said in a Politico interview, prompting a reporter to ask: “Wait, wait. Is or won?”

State Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said in a statement, “New Yorkers will never elect a Republican like Lee Zeldin who has continued to tie himself tightly to Donald Trump, QAnon conspiracy theories, and who has continued to support the ‘Big Lie.’”