GOP hopes Suffolk's Lee Zeldin can help regain NY Senate

When Lee Zeldin first ran for Congress two years ago, he was so unknown that then-Suffolk GOP chief Harry Withers once got his name wrong introducing him. While he raised nearly $1 million, most of his money went to fundraising. And despite a dogged race, he lost by almost 17 percent.

But Thursday night, Zeldin, 30, was at center stage of Suffolk's Republican convention, where he immediately became a top hope for Republicans' regaining control of the State Senate, lost last year.

Before a re-energized GOP throng of 300 - about three times the size of recent conventions - Zeldin, a lawyer and Iraq war veteran, railed at his foe, freshman Democratic state Sen. Brian X. Foley.

He assailed the Blue Point lawmaker as the "deciding vote" on issues hurting the suburbs, including the MTA payroll tax, rolling back of STAR property tax rebates and even saltwater fishing fees. "Brian Foley has sold us out to pander to party brass from New York City," said Zeldin. "We have to turn Senator Brian X. Foley into ex-Senator Brian Foley."

John Jay LaValle, Suffolk's new Republican chairman, said Zeldin's race is essential to rolling back the Democrats' 32-30 edge in the Senate. "This is the big one, folks," he said. "Literally the weight of this state is upon our backs."

Republican senators, out of power for the first time after 43 years of domination, need the majority to control the drawing of new district lines that will last a decade.

But Eric Blankenbaker, a spokesman for the Senate Democratic campaign committee, labeled Zeldin's congressional bid a "vanity project" and said Zeldin has no record of involvement in local issues and no solutions to the state's vexing problems. "He talks in broad, vague terms but has no answers. Brian's been a leader," he said.

Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, called Zeldin's race one of the Senate GOP's top three races of a half-dozen now targeted statewide. "We believe he's a winner," he said, predicting Foley's record and Democrats' inept budget performance will mean "a slam dunk for Lee."

Backers say Zeldin learned the ropes in his congressional run and has been campaigning relentlessly since January, with two campaign offices. And with the public's angry mood, some say being a virtual unknown is an advantage. "It's the year of the no-name," said Republican Paul Sabatino, a former counsel to the Suffolk Legislature. "As long as someone is not linked to incumbency, the status quo or the party in power, you have a real shot."

But Democrats say Foley, who has served as Brookhaven supervisor and county legislator, like his father before him, has the deep community ties that will help him weather the storm. The 3rd Senate District, once heavily Republican, has now also turned Democratic. Party officials also say Foley will benefit from Andrew Cuomo leading the ticket.

James LaCarrubba, Foley's chief of staff, said Foley will prevail because people wanted a change from corrupt Republican rule that recently led to the conviction of former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. "During the years of Republican rule, Long Island property taxes rose 550 percent," he said. "Let's talk about the people who have reached into your pocket and have really taken your money."

Many expect the race to be the toughest across the Island. "This is going to be like the battle for Berlin: house to house and street to street," said Albany lobbyist Desmond Ryan, referring to the last days of World War II. "It's going to be an uphill fight for both of them and they can take nothing for granted."