Recklessly Wrong

U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin has made no secret of the fact that he wants to replace Andrew Cuomo as governor. In an attempt to get there, he’s taken the tack of calling for the immediate and full reopening of all schools and all businesses in New York.

Mr. Zeldin, once again, is proving that he will say anything he can to bolster his popularity among far-right donors, and elevating his place in the Trumpist pecking order nationally, and he’ll do it at the expense of the health, safety and lives of his constituents.

Reopening is happening slowly but assuredly in New York State. The pace is frustrating but necessary. COVID-19 cases are not falling as they need to be — they have plateaued at best. In Suffolk County in particular, where his 1st District is located, the 14-day trend line is actually upward, a baffling statistic considering the warmer weather and the momentum of the vaccine rollout.

But Mr. Zeldin would have New York State throw the doors open when only 14 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, a move that would undoubtedly lead to another case surge just as the state seems on the cusp of finally getting the upper hand on the virus.

Maybe Mr. Zeldin — our four-term congressman, who previously had pledged to only serve three terms, and confusingly seems to be campaigning for governor at the same time he’s already launched a reelection bid for his House seat in 2022 — sees flirting with a gubernatorial run as simply a way to raise his national profile. Perhaps one day soon he can turn his regular appearances on conservative cable (the only media he will talk to these days) into paid gigs. Or maybe he’s aiming for a bigger role in the evolving GOP. It’s good to have options.

Regardless of why, he’s boosting his standing on the right by advocating for the wrong thing for the East End and the wrong thing for New York. Recklessly wrong.