Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since January 2025. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing from 2015 to 2023, as well as in the New York State Senate, representing the 3rd Senate district from 2011 to 2014. He is a member of the Republican Party.
A close ally of President Donald Trump, Zeldin prominently defended Trump during his first impeachment. Zeldin was the Republican nominee for Governor of New York in 2022. Although he lost the election to incumbent governor Kathy Hochul, it was the best Republican performance in a New York gubernatorial election since 2002, and the closest since 1994.
In 2025, Zeldin became the administrator of the EPA as part of the second administration of President Trump and proposed major deregulation actions at the agency.
Early life and education Zeldin was born on January 30, 1980, in East Meadow, New York, the son of Merrill Schwartz and David Zeldin. His father was a private investigator and his mother was a fourth-grade teacher. They divorced when Zeldin was young. He was raised in Shirley in Long Island, New York, and graduated from William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, New York, in 1998. Zeldin's family is Jewish and he attended Hebrew school. His uncle Isaiah Zeldin was a rabbi who founded Stephen Wise Temple, a Reform synagogue in Los Angeles.
Zeldin graduated from SUNY University at Albany in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and from Albany Law School in 2003 with a Juris Doctor. He passed the bar exam and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2004, becoming the youngest lawyer in New York at the time.
Military service and legal practice
Zeldin received an Army ROTC commission as a second lieutenant, and served in the United States Army from 2003 to 2007, where he initially joined the Military Intelligence Corps. In 2007, he transitioned from active duty to the Army Reserve, where he achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel before his retirement on April 30, 2025.
In 2007, Zeldin became an attorney for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In 2008, he started a general-practice law firm in Smithtown, New York that he ran until his election to New York's 3rd State Senate district in 2010.
New York State Senate (2011–2014) In 2010, Zeldin ran in the New York State Senate's 3rd District, challenging Democratic incumbent Brian X. Foley. Zeldin defeated Foley with 57% of the vote. Zeldin was reelected in 2012, defeating Democrat Francis Genco with 56% of the vote.
In January 2011, a bill co-sponsored by Zeldin provided for a 2% property tax cap to become law.
In June 2011, Zeldin voted against the Marriage Equality Act, which the Senate passed 33–29. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law. In a statement after the bill passed, Zeldin said: "It is my belief that marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman."
In December 2011, Zeldin supported a $250 million cut to the MTA payroll tax.
In March 2012, Zeldin helped to create the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Support program; funding for the program was included in the 2012–13 New York State Budget.
In February 2014, Zeldin introduced a bill that sought to halt implementation of the Common Core curriculum for three years.
In March 2014, Zeldin voted against the New York Dream Act, which would allow undocumented students who meet in-state tuition requirements to obtain financial aid to study at the university level.
U.S. House of Representatives (2015-2023) Elections 2008
In 2008, Zeldin challenged incumbent representative Tim Bishop in New York's 1st congressional district. Bishop defeated Zeldin 58%–42%.
2014
On October 6, 2013, Zeldin announced he would again seek the Republican nomination to run against Bishop. His state senate district included much of the congressional district's western portion.
Zeldin defeated George Demos in the Republican primary and ran unopposed for the Conservative Party nomination in the June 24 primary. On November 4, he defeated Bishop with 54% of the vote.
2016
In February 2015, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced that Zeldin was one of 12 members in the Patriot Program, a program designed to help protect vulnerable Republican incumbents in the 2016 election.
In the 2016 Republican primary, Zeldin faced no opposition. In the November 8 general election, he faced Democratic nominee Anna Throne-Holst, a member of the Southampton Town Board. Zeldin won with 58% of the vote.
2018
Zeldin ran unopposed in the 2018 Republican primary. In the November general election his chief opponent was Democratic nominee Perry Gershon, who also had the endorsement of the Working Families Party.
Zeldin's 2018 campaign featured fundraisers with Breitbart News founder Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka. At the Gorka event, reporters from local news outlets were removed.
Zeldin defeated Gershon, 51.5%–47.4%.
2020
Zeldin ran unopposed in the Republican primary. In the November 3 general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Nancy Goroff, 54.9%–45.1%.
Committee assignments Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance
Caucus memberships Bipartisan Heroin and Opioids Task Force Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus Congressional Estuary Caucus Conservative Climate Caucus Climate Solutions Caucus House Republican Israel Caucus (co-chair) Long Island Sound Caucus (co-chair) Republican Main Street Partnership
New York 2022 gubernatorial campaign
In April 2021, Zeldin announced he would run for governor of New York in 2022. On April 30, 2021, Zeldin announced that Erie and Niagara counties' Republican Party chairs had endorsed his campaign, giving him the necessary 50% of state committee support to gain the Republican nomination. In June 2021, Republican state chair Nick Langworthy named Zeldin the party's "presumed nominee" after he earned 85% of a straw poll vote of county leaders. Conservative state chair Gerard Kassar also called Zeldin the "presumptive nominee" of the Conservative Party of New York State. By August 2021, Zeldin had been endorsed by 49 of New York's 62 county Republican party chairs.
Zeldin's campaign raised $4 million during the first half of 2021 and $4.3 million in the second half. 90% of his donations were small-dollar donations. Zeldin visited every county in New York State twice during his campaign. In November 2021, he declined to commit to campaigning with Donald Trump, saying, "There are plenty of New Yorkers who love him, there are plenty of New Yorkers out there who don't."
On March 1, 2022, Zeldin received the New York Republican State Committee's designation for governor of New York; 85% of the committee voted to back him. He also received the Conservative Party's designation. Zeldin's preferred pick for lieutenant governor, retired NYPD Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito, ran unopposed and also received the state party's designation.
Zeldin faced Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani, and Harry Wilson in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary and was declared the winner on June 29, 2022. He faced incumbent governor Kathy Hochul in the November general election.
Two additional petitions were circulated for the Republican slate. The Independence Party of New York, which had previously ran Cuomo, filed with the New York State Board of Elections, with the Republican slate seeking to restore the Independence Party line. The party had lost ballot status in 2020. On July 14, 2022, the Board of Elections denied the petitions submitted by the Zeldin campaign, due to contested signatures. A petition for the Parent Party was also filed with the New York State Board of Elections, with the Republican slate seeking to create the Parent Party line. The Parent Party endorsed Lee Zeldin and the Republican slate in May 2022. In July 2022, the Board of Elections rejected the party's petitions for ballot access. Zeldin only appeared on two lines, the Republican and Conservative Party lines, the first time since the 2006 election.
Although the election was closer than most gubernatorial contests since 2002, Zeldin lost to Hochul, 53.2% to 46.8%. He received the highest percentage of the vote for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 2002 and the highest raw vote total for a Republican gubernatorial nominee since 1970. Conservative policy magazine City Journal wrote that Zeldin’s “strong showing helped flip four congressional seats red”, contributing to the GOP’s narrow House majority that year.
Attack On July 21, 2022, Zeldin was attacked at a campaign event in Perinton, New York. A man, later identified as David Jakubonis, got on the stage while Zeldin was giving a speech and attacked him with a pointed plastic key chain intended to be used for self-defense. AMVETS national director Joe Chenelly stopped the attacker. The Monroe County Sheriff's Department detained the man before releasing him the next day without bail. Monroe County district attorney Sandra Doorley, who was also a co-chair of Zeldin's campaign, recused herself from the case because she was at the event. After his initial release, Jakubonis was arrested on federal assault charges. After being indicted, he said he had been drinking on the day of the attack and "did not know who" Zeldin was. In December 2023, Jakubonis was sentenced to three years of probation.
Campaign positions
During his gubernatorial campaign, Zeldin pledged to reverse New York state's 2015 ban on hydraulic fracturing.
Zeldin opposes abortion but has said that regardless of what the Supreme Court decides on Roe v. Wade, "nothing changes in the state of New York", where abortion is legal. When the court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Zeldin said it was "a victory for life, for family, for the Constitution, and for federalism". In April 2022, Zeldin said it would be "a great idea" to appoint a health commissioner who opposed abortion. In October 2022, Zeldin said that as governor, he would not change New York's abortion laws.
Zeldin has opposed New York's bail reform, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, eliminating cash bail for most misdemeanor and nonviolent felony charges, repeatedly calling for its repeal.
Political action committee
In 2023, Zeldin launched Leadership America Needs, a PAC aimed at increasing Republican turnout among the young and voters of color.
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2025present)
Nomination and confirmation In November 2024, CNN reported that Zeldin was Trump's nominee for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. His confirmation hearing was held on January 16, 2025. The committee advanced his nomination in a 11–8 vote on January 23.
During his confirmation hearing for EPA Director, Zeldin stated that climate change is a real issue and needs to be addressed.
He was confirmed by the Senate on January 29, in a 56–42 vote. Democratic Senators John Fetterman, Mark Kelly, and Ruben Gallego joined all Republicans in voting for Zeldin.
Tenure