Former Vice President Mike Pence endorsed Rep. Lee Zeldin in the GOP primary for governor Wednesday.
“Proud to endorse @leezeldin for Governor of New York,” Pence tweeted after attending a Conservative Party event at the New York Athletic Club in Midtown Wednesday evening.
Proud to endorse @leezeldin for Governor of New York at the @cpnys today! He's a Lt Col in the Army Reserve, proud supporter of our police officers, advocate for parents’ rights in education & a fiscal Conservative who will fight for lower taxes, less regulation & more freedom! pic.twitter.com/hWpBQYkEEW
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 22, 2022
Zeldin is endorsed by the state Conservative Party and is the preferred candidate of the state Republican Party, selected as their official designee at the party’s convention in February.
His opponents in the June 28 primary are Republican businessman Harry Wilson, former Westchester County executive and 2014 GOP gubernatorial nominee Rob Astorino, and former Trump administration official Andrew Giuliani, son of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Former President Donald Trump has not endorsed in the race, but he attended a fundraiser for Zeldin at his Mar-a-Lago country club in February and attended a Westchester fundraiser for Giuliani earlier this month.
Zeldin represents Eastern Long Island in Congress.
After the Jan. 6 Capitol riot where protestors chanted “hang Mike Pence” and the then-vice president was hidden in the Capitol’s basement by Secret Service, Zeldin objected to Arizona's electoral college votes in a push to put the results in the 2020 presidential election into question.