Lee Zeldin (R,C)

Republican incumbent Lee Zeldin is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. House
of Representatives for New York’s 1st Congressional District. Zeldin lives and
has created a family in Shirley. He also grew up in Shirley and attended the William Floyd School District, which his two daughters now attend.

“My days begin and end when I am home, inside the area of [The Advance’s]
readership,” said Zeldin, adding that he is the second congressman from the Mastic-Shirley peninsula, with only William Floyd preceding him. “When I am out at a supermarket with my family, there are constant conversations up and down just about every aisle with neighbors and constituents. Sometimes, it is small talk. Sometimes, it is a bit heavier. Sometimes, I am giving out a business card and connecting them with someone who works in my office to help them on an issue that we might be of assistance. I live my life inside the area of [The Advance’s] readership.”

Discussing his platform, Zeldin said that tackling the health pandemic is the
top priority.

“We need to get a vaccine over the finish line and help more individuals and families and local governments emerge from the other side of this outbreak stronger than they were before,” he said, adding that there are extensive measures necessary to accomplish this. “It requires a lot of continued nonpartisan spurts to get key victories over the finish line.”

Zeldin pointed out the that connection between public health and the economy
is even more intertwined now.

“In response to the coronavirus pandemic, I worked very closely with leaders from all levels of government on both sides of the aisle, and I thought
that the right approach was not to view [the] response being a Republican first or a Democrat first, but as being a Long Islander first or being a New Yorker first or an American first,” he said, continuing on to say that he received a request from Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone when the county stockpile ran out of key items of personal protective equipment. “Within minutes, we were making progress directly with the White
House.”

In less than 24 hours, 200,000 N95 masks were delivered to Suffolk County,
and that number doubled in the following 24 to 48 hours. “All of the work responding to the outbreak was a product of everybody working together with the right nonpartisan spirit,” Zeldin said.

Zeldin said that during 2020, he and his team were able to secure important victories in the 1st Congressional District, especially in terms of the economy and job creation on Long Island.

“At the beginning of the year, I was honored to make the announcement on
behalf of the Department of Energy that a $2 billion electron ion collider was coming to Brookhaven National Lab, which is going to create thousands of jobs and conduct humanity-changing research over the course of 20, 25, 30-plus years,” he said.

He summed up his platform by saying that it is important to build off of the
accomplishments as well as overcome any still-existing challenges. Zeldin mentioned the Fire Island to Montauk Point Plan and said more work needs to be done by the Army Corps of Engineers.

“We had five key items for New York won inside of [the water resources bill],
including the Chiefs Report for the Fire Island to Montauk Point Plan, which is
an over $1 billion project to build our coastline on the South Shore stronger
than it has ever been in our history,” he said, adding that the item just passed the House in July.