Trump endorses Zeldin in NY governor race against Hochul

​Former President Donald Trump gave Rep. Lee Zeldin his “Complete & Total Endorsement” on Sunday, touting the Republican challenger to Gov. Kathy Hochul as “strong on the Border, Crime, our great Military & Vets.”

“I have watched and known Congressman Lee Zeldin for many years. He is a great and brilliant lawyer who was a ‘must see’ for others in Congress when they had a complex legal problem that was holding up legislation,” the 45th commander-in-chief wrote Sunday on the Truth Social media platform.

“Lee was strong on the Border, Crime, our great Military & Vets (like few others!), and fought hard to protect our 2nd Amendment, and succeeded. Lee Zeldin is a WINNER who GOT THINGS DONE. He will be a GREAT Governor of New York, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement. GOOD LUCK LEE!,” Trump said.

With less than a month before the Nov. 8 election, the Long Island Republican has managed to ​overcome Hochul’s double-digit lead in the polls from this summer to turn the race into a toss-up. 

Hochul now has a 5.3 percentage point edge over Zeldin, according to a RealClear Politics’ average of polls since the end of September. 

Zeldin has hammered Hochul on the bail reform and rising crime numbers in New York during the campaign. 

Trump, who remained neutral during the state’s June 28 Republican gubernatorial primary, has since thrown support behind Zeldin. ​

The former president ​gave the Zeldin campaign a $1.5 million boost at a fundraiser in New Jersey last month. 

He told the donors that Zeldin helped him overcome “impeachment hoax number one and impeachment hoax number two and a lot of scams,” referring to his unsuccessful efforts to overturn the 2020 election results that the congressman from Suffolk Country supported.

“I had these maniacs against me. He was one of those great voices,” Trump said, The Post reported, at the fundraiser in Long Branch.