DeSantis will campaign with Zeldin in New York

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis will campaign for New York GOP gubernatorial hopeful Lee Zeldin this weekend, as the latter mounts an unusually strong Republican bid for the deep blue state's top office.

The Florida governor has previously campaigned for other Republicans nationwide, including in the battlegrounds of Ohio, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, according to The Hill. His latest planned appearance comes amid mounting speculation of a 2024 presidential bid.

DeSantis himself appears poised to cruise to reelection in his home state, with the RealClearPolitics polling average giving him an 11.2% advantage over Democratic rival Charlie Crist.

Zeldin, meanwhile, is down 6.1% over New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the same metric. Individual polls, however, have shown a closer race. 

Hochul took office following the resignation of former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was facing allegations of sexual misconduct and scrutiny for quarantining COVID-19 patients in nursing homes. She has previously faced the voters in a bid for statewide office as Cuomo's 2018 running mate, though this is her first statewide race at the top of the ticket.

Zeldin, meanwhile, has long served in the House of Representatives. His campaign has pointed to rising crime and the state's economic woes in making the pitch for Republican leadership in Albany. During the campaign, a would-be assailant accosted the Republican at an event, but quickly secured release from custody. He was later rearrested on federal charges. Zeldin has sought to end cashless bail as part of his anti-crime platform.