By Chris Biancaniello
Tuesday morning at 6am Republican voters will head to the polls to vote on who will represent their party against 1st electoral district U.S. Congressman Tim Bishop. The two candidates vying for the position are State Senator Lee Zeldin and former federal prosecutor George Demos.
Lee ZeldinThis is not Zeldin’s first attempt to unseat Bishop who has held the office since 2003. He previously ran against him in 2008, losing by a 16 point margin of 58-42%. Zeldin, an Iraq war veteran is currently serving in New York State’s 3rd District State Senate seat as he has since defeating Democrat Brian X. Foley in 2011. He’s garnered strong support from several notable Republicans including former presidential candidate and Arizona Senator John McCain, as well as Rick Santorum, and former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Zeldin’s opponent, George Demos, is familiar with the primary for this position as
George Demos he ran for the same position in a 2010 primary. Demos ultimately lost to Randy Altschuler, who was unable to unseat Bishop after attaining the Republican nod. Demos is backed by Mayor Rudy Guiliani and Governor George Pataki. It is also worth noting that Demos has raised nearly twice the funds for his campaign as Zeldin, a large part of which comes from his own personal wealth and those close to him.
When the polls close tomorrow at 9PM the Republican nominee will be determined. As of now there is no clear leader. Both candidates are said to have different styles of conservatism, Zeldin is known for compromising on some issues in order to focus more on others, while Demos is considered to be more uncompromising in his conservative beliefs. Tomorrow will mark the end of an arduous campaign for one of the two candidates as the other will begin preparing for the general election in November.
Voting begins Tuesday, June 24 at 6am and ends at 9pm. Only Republican voters can vote in the primary. Find Your Polling Place