Governor's debate shows GOP is still Trump's party
Republican gubernatorial candidates Rob Astorino, left, Harry Wilson, Lee Zeldin and Andrew Giuliani debate at the CBS2 TV studios Monday. Credit: AP/Bebeto Matthews
Given the continuing enshrinement of Donald Trump within the Republican Party, Rep. Lee Zeldin sees fit to taunt his businessman rival for governor, Harry Wilson, as a “Never Trumper.”
That labeling of an adversary might be seen as an echo of Trump, though far less personal. If Wilson explodes all expectations on June 28 and wins the desired nomination, he could enter the general election wearing Zeldin’s "Never Trumper" label as a blue-state badge.
No matter what comes of the vivid, high-stakes insurrection hearings underway in Washington, the New York Republican Party organization will continue to adhere to the Trump brand, confident that this gratifies the GOP rank-and-file.
This fervent commitment to Trump fans, if not Trump himself, became clear in the opening moments of the four-way Republican debate on WCBS-TV Monday night.
Andrew Giuliani, whose past government experience consists of a patronage job in the Trump White House — owing to his mentor-father Rudy — hailed Trump for “the kind of change he brought to the United States of America that we need to bring to New York.”
Zeldin, the preferred candidate of the state party organization, went with a fleeting defense of Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 as having “told his supporters to go peacefully and patriotically.” Zeldin also said of his party: “I believe we are battling for the heart and soul of our country.”
That makes for exciting rhetoric directed to those enrolled as Republicans and therefore eligible to vote. The Congress member from Shirley will worry about the general election later, where whoever wins the nomination will seek to utilize President Joe Biden's low poll ratings to pump up the local message on crime and taxes.
The relatively moderate candidate Rob Astorino, who's selling his past ability to get crossover Democratic votes in Westchester County, called Jan. 6 “a horrible day” for which Trump bears “some responsibility.” But Astorino quickly called for everyone to get past it — and held to the party line by dismissing this week's congressional hearings as mere theater.
Even Wilson sidestepped the heresy of trying to throw the book at Trump over the insurrection. Prosecutions, Wilson said, should be aimed at “the people who broke the law by invading the Capitol. Mr. Trump did not invade the Capitol.”
In the House, Zeldin has consistently aligned himself with the Trump-tied GOP caucus leadership. Zeldin voted against certifying the 2020 electoral votes in Pennsylvania and Arizona — and even opposed a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill later signed by Biden that's worth billions to his state.
But on Monday, Astorino hearkened back again to his leading competitor's days as a state senator from Long Island. In Albany, Zeldin belonged to a Republican caucus with cordial ties to then-Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. That group gave Astorino little love when he faced Cuomo in 2014.
One irony here is that as a wealthy capitalist with private resources to run, and no government or legislative record to defend, Wilson can take the positions he wishes — as Trump did in 2016 and as ex-NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg did the previous decade.
Obviously that doesn't presage success — especially in today's "with-us-or-with-them" environment.
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
