GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin (left) poses with Sherburne Mayor William Acee and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney at a Republican fundraiser held Saturday at the Mountain Top golf course in Sherburne. (Photo by Shawn Magrath)

SHERBURNE - Chenango County Republicans threw their support behind gubernatorial candidate Congressman Lee Zeldin during a fundraising event held at Sherburne’s Mountain Top golf course Saturday.

Zeldin, who was elected to represent New York’s 1st Congressional District on Long Island in 2015, has gained traction among GOP and Conservative Party voters as the presumptive nominee to run against incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2022.

This election, he said, will prove if New York can establish “political balance” in Washington.

“It’s one of those elections that will prove if the pendulum swings,” he said. “Right now, it’s one party Democratic rule, for the first time in my lifetime, going into a midterm at every level of government - D.C., Albany, and New York City.”

Zeldin says it’s that one-party rule that’s actually giving his campaign an advantage, arguing that elections historically favor the opposing political party in the White House.

Since his announcement to run in April, the Zeldin campaign has raised more than $4 million from GOP donors in all 62 New York counties, 94 percent of which have been contributions of $250 or less. He’s also received backing from the Republican and Conservative parties, running on a platform to lower the state’s cost of living, bolster public safety and support for law enforcement, and improve the quality of education.