Mets fan Lee Zeldin gets backing from a top Yankees executive in New York’s GOP gubernatorial primary

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FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Lee Zeldin, the polling and fundraising front-runner in New York’s Republican gubernatorial primary, is a longtime fan of the New York Mets but has attracted an endorsement from a rival team's top executive.

Zeldin, a former attorney and officer in the U.S. Army Reserve who grew up on New York’s Long Island, is a four-term lawmaker who represents New York’s 1st Congressional District, which covers the eastern half of Long Island.

When it comes to Major League Baseball loyalties, Long Island has traditionally been considered New York Mets country.

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But his baseball loyalties are not stopping Zeldin from landing the endorsement of a top executive with the New York Yankees.

Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, the front-runner for the GO gubernatorial nomination in New York, campaigns in Nassau County, New York on  Feb. 27, 2022, a couple of days ahead of the state GOP convention. (Lee Zeldin campaign)

Fox News Digital has learned that Randy Levine, the longtime president of the Yankees, is backing Zeldin in New York’s GOP gubernatorial primary on June 28. 

"As a New York Republican, I’m going to vote for Lee Zeldin in the Republican primary. I think that he’s ready for the job. He has the experience, the temperament, and the fortitude to lead the state. So I wholeheartedly support him and will be voting for him in June," Levine told Fox News.

Levine’s backing of Zeldin in the Republican primary is a personal endorsement and is not connected to his position with the Yankees.

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Zeldin, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, spent much of the past year crisscrossing New York, securing the support of county and local GOP committees. And early last month at the New York State Republican Party’s convention, he won the designation as their candidate for governor. 

But Zeldin will still face competition in the June primary. Among those also on the ballot will be Rob Astorino, the former Westchester County executive and 2014 GOP gubernatorial nominee; Andrew Giuliani, who served in the Trump administration and is the son of former New York City mayor and former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani; and Harry Wilson, a businessman, investor and restructuring expert who’s pouring millions of his own money into his gubernatorial bid.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a news conference in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Tuesday, April 12, 2022. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The winner will likely face off against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. She’s the clear polling and fundraising front-runner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in a race that also includes Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams.

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Hochul, who at the time was the state’s lieutenant governor, was sworn in last August as New York’s first female governor, after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at New York's Yankee Stadium, on July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Cuomo in recent months has flirted with a political comeback but declined to file to get his name on the Democrat primary ballot. Cuomo could still run to seek his old job as an independent.

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New York is a heavily blue state. Gov. George Pataki’s 2002 re-election was the last time a Republican won a gubernatorial contest in the Empire State.