Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Long Island) is backing away from recent remarks suggesting he would appoint a pro-life health commissioner if elected – comments which have become a political lightning rod for rivals after a draft decision to overturn Roe v Wade was leaked to the public last week.
The putative frontrunner for the Republican nomination for governor had told a group of conservative activists that he would have an “open door” policy as the first anti-abortion governor in decades.
“It would be a great benefit for the state of New York to have a health commissioner who respects life as opposed to what we’re used to,” Zeldin said at a virtual town hall hosted by New York Right to Life, NY1 reported last month.
Zeldin was singing a different tune Monday at a campaign stop in New York City about whether he would restrict abortion as governor.
“Nothing changes in the state of New York,” Zeldin said of the landmark Roe v Wade decision the Supreme Court is expected to chuck in the upcoming weeks.
He declined to rule out seeking abortion restrictions if elected governor – whether through the legislative or regulatory processes – even if he had the sweeping powers to determine state policy through the budget process.
The pivot on the issue provided some red meat for embattled Governor Kathy Hochul, who is hoping that campaigning on abortion rights will help Democrats in the 2022 elections.
“Lee Zeldin can’t hide the facts about his own out-of-touch agenda on reproductive rights. Just a few weeks ago, Lee Zeldin made it clear that if elected, he would be an anti-choice governor with an anti-choice health commissioner. This is a wake-up call to what’s at stake in New York if Zeldin has his way,” Jen Goodman, a campaign spokesperson for Hochul, said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Zeldin downplayed the significance of his comments on Monday by noting that he would hardly have a free hand to pursue a pro-life agenda if elected governor in a state with Democratic legislative supermajorities.
“His point today was that this is an attempt for Kathy Hochul to distract from her failed record on the issues … and that even if the Supreme Court decision that is in the current draft was finalized, that wouldn’t change the law,” Zeldin spokeswoman Katie Vincentz told the Post.
Vincentz declined to say definitely whether Zeldin would appoint a pro-life health commissioner.
“He definitely is going to be examining and considering all candidates based on the merits and his positions are his positions are his positions,” she added.
Republicans like former Trump White House aide Andrew Giuliani and former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino have also made comments suggesting that they might bring a pro-life mindset to Albany despite polls showing a majority of New Yorkers favor abortion rights.
“I’ll appoint the most qualified Health Commissioner, whether that person is pro-life or not,” Astorino said in a statement responding to Zeldin’s remarks Monday.
Giuliani and businessman Harry Wilson – who campaigned on a pro-choice while running for state comptroller in 2010 – did not respond to requests for comment.
Zeldin’s comments on Monday suggesting that he would take a hands-off approach to abortion belie a record in Congress that earned him an A+ rating from the pro-life advocacy group Susan B. Anthony List.
“It is time for Zeldin to address his anti-choice record, be truthful to voters, and start giving straight answers,” New York state Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs said in a statement.
