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Donald Trump appeared at a fundraiser for New York Republican Lee Zeldin as the congressman hopes to pull off a shock mid-term victory over New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
The former president spoke at the fundraiser event held at the Chera real-estate family's home in Long Branch, New Jersey, on Sunday.
According to the New York Post, the event managed to raise $1.5 million for Zeldin's campaign for governor ahead of the November 8 election.
Trump did not endorse Zeldin before his GOP primary win in June, but has now joined the candidate on his campaign trail as polls suggest Zeldin is rapidly closing the gap on Hochul.
Trump has endorsed candidates who have done well so far this mid-term election year, while his critics, such as Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the house select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack, have fared poorly.
Trump said at the fundraiser that Zeldin helped him survive "impeachment hoax number one and impeachment hoax number two and a lot of scams," referring to his unsuccessful efforts to overturn the 2020 election results that Zeldin supported.
"I had these maniacs against me. He was one of those great voices," Trump said Sunday in a recording acquired by the New York Post. "Go support Lee Zeldin."
According to a Trafalgar Group survey held from Tuesday to Thursday, Hochul's lead over Zeldin has been reduced to just over 4 percentage points, with the incumbent beating her GOP challenger 47.8 to 43.4.
In comparison, a SurveyUSA/WNYT poll of 1,200 New York adults was conducted from August 17 to 21 and gave Hochul a 24-point lead against Zeldin, 55 to 31 percent.
Another Siena College survey published on August 2 of 806 likely voters gave Hochul another double-digit lead over Zeldin, with the former winning 53 to 39 percent.
Zeldin has noted that he is chipping away at Hochul's lead in the polls, and he may still yet achieve a shock victory in a state that has been overwhelmingly Democrat over the past four decades.
New York has voted for a Democratic governor in the last four elections, with George E. Pataki (from 1995 to 2006) being the only Republican to have held the position since the mid-1970s. The state has also not voted for a GOP president since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
"This latest poll shows that New Yorkers are starting to see who the real Kathy Hochul is, a corrupt, out-of-touch, weak Governor driving the state in the wrong direction," Zeldin said in a statement, following the release of the Trafalgar Group survey giving Hochul a four-point lead.
"This poll underscores our unprecedented momentum and Team Zeldin is NOT slowing down. There is no county too big or too small, and we will continue to reach New Yorkers all throughout our state who are hitting their breaking point under one-party rule and Kathy Hochul.
Zeldin said: "On November 8th, we are going to FIRE Kathy Hochul and restore New York to glory."
Ahead of the fundraiser in New Jersey, Governor Hochul accused Zeldin on Twitter of continuing to "embrace the most far-right fringe elements of his party."
The congressman was among 147 Republicans who objected to the certification of the 2020 presidential election results following the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
"If you fanned the flames and peddled the hate that led to the January 6th insurrection, you're not a leader and you have no place leading New York. End of story," Hochul tweeted.
Newsweek has contacted Zeldin for comment.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more