Rep. Lee Zeldin: New York Democrats will lose legislative supermajority in midterm elections

New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin predicted Wednesday that Democrats in his state will lose their supermajority in the legislature during the midterm elections.

Zeldin told "Just the News, Not Noise" TV show cohosts John Solomon and Amanda Head that socialists in the New York Democratic Party are the reason why Republicans will break the blue supermajority.

"On top of winning the race for governor, it's also important to be electing more people to the state Senate, the state assembly to break the supermajority that exists right now in the state capitol," Zeldin said. "We have outsized power of self-described socialists — that supermajority will get broken this November, I'm confident of it."

New Yorkers are leaving the state because of Democrats' poor policies, Zeldin argued.

"I believe that New York, in many respects, is hitting a breaking point — people are fleeing every single day," he said. "They feel like their wallet, their safety, their freedom, their kids' education are under attack."

This election is "a rescue mission to save our state," Zeldin added. "And in order to actually get that done, I'm not under any illusions that I'm going to be taking office in January with a Republican Legislature."

If elected, the congressman said, he would look for common ground on issues where he could work with Democrats, such as overhauling cashless bail.

"[Y]ou try to find common ground when it's possible on issues where you can be able to work together with somebody," he said. "You might disagree on other topics, but if you can work together on something that will move the state forward, I'm all for it."

Zeldin believes Republican messaging on some issues, like COVID-19 restrictions and public safety, connect with voters of all parties.

"[T]here are independents, there are Democrats who don't feel safe outside of their homes or in their subways," he said. "As we see in New York, there are Democrats who believe that the quality of their son and daughter's education is very much at stake, and they are connecting with the Republican message, with the conservative message on education more so than in the past."

Referring to parents of kids who still have to wear masks in New York City public schools, Zeldin said, "They might be a loyal liberal Democrat voter, but these are issues, they transcend party loyalty."