Former New York Gubernatorial candidate and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-) has shared ways he believes the Republican Party can “earn a red wave” at the 2024 elections. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week (CPAC), he encouraged his colleagues to seek support even in places known to be Democratic.
“When your high-paid political consultant tells you not to go to a heavily Democratic area, that’s exactly where we need to show up and earn the support of these Democrats. We cannot relinquish the cities, we cannot relinquish the suburbs,” he said.
Zeldin went on to say that the Republican Party cannot give up on any area as he believes that a confident charge will push the party to victory.
“We cannot relinquish anything to the Democrats and if we’re on offense confidently, that will be the path for us to earn a red wave. Because in 2022, we did not earn a red wave nationally. In ‘24, we must [earn a red wave] to save America,” he stated.
The former lawmaker added that the key to winning minorities over lies in the promise to resolve key issues such as education and public safety. According to him, many Democratic supporters are not satisfied with policies under the current Democratic government.
With some persuasion and clear communication of what the Republican Party stands for, he believes these individuals will tip over to the red side.
Republicans didn’t earn a red wave nationally in ‘22, and we need to understand why to best prepare for ‘24.
Red waves won’t show up simply by messaging what you are against ("Joe Biden bad", "Democratic Party bad") but instead by exceptionally communicating what you stand FOR. pic.twitter.com/EjwmX8IcFS
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) March 4, 2023
In his words: “These Democrats are unhappy with the Democratic policies and the Democratic Party as a whole, but they aren’t going to just swing to the Republicans on their own. It’s a bad assumption that we are making. Instead, what we need to do is to show up over and over and over again.”
On March 1, Zeldin announced the launch of a political action committee aimed at increasing Republican voter turnout both among people of color and the younger generation. The committee, chaired by Zeldin, will conduct outreach to communities of color in a bid to secure the support of Black and Latino voters and Jewish voters.
The outreach will also include voters belonging to the Millennial and Gen Z age categories, who mostly tilt toward the Left.
“Republican leaders must do more to effectively empower compelling voices, exceptionally articulate a resonating message, and actually deliver the Red Wave election America needs,” he said.
