Who are the Republican candidates running for statewide office?

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin has been making a lot of big campaign promises on congestion pricing, abortion rights and removing the Manhattan district attorney from office while running against Gov. Kathy Hochul. But Zeldin isn’t the only Republican running for statewide office vowing to “save our state” in some form. 

The lieutenant governor, state attorney general, state comptroller and U.S. Senate races all have Republican candidates challenging Democratic incumbents – each with their own unique backstory and political plans.

Here’s a rundown of the other GOP candidates running for statewide office this year.

Lieutenant Governor: Alison Esposito

Zeldin selected former New York City Police Department Deputy Inspector Alison Esposito to be his running mate. Esposito served in the department for 20 years and has focused much of her campaign on crime. As lieutenant governor, Esposito has vowed to help repeal bail reform and support Zeldin’s plan to remove Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Day One. She is also the first openly gay Republican candidate to run for lieutenant governor. Esposito is running against Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado.

State Attorney General: Michael Henry

Michael Henry is a New York City-based attorney who’s running as the Republican candidate against Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James. Henry has focused his campaign on fighting crime, corruption, the rising cost of living and delivering justice for those impacted by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's undercounting of deaths in nursing homes at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Henry has secured endorsements from both the Police Conference of New York and the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association.

State Comptroller: Paul Rodriguez

Paul Rodriguez, a financial expert from Queens with 25 years of experience working on Wall Street, is running against state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Rodriguez worked at some of the biggest financial institutions in the world, including Salomon Brothers, Merrill, and UBS. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2004 against Rep. Nydia Velázquez and lost in the 2021 general election for New York City comptroller. His platform is focused on holding the government accountable, exposing corruption, increasing budget oversight, professionalizing pension management and more.

U.S. Senate: Joe Pinion

Political news commentator Joe Pinion is vying to unseat U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Pinion, who grew up in Yonkers, has positioned himself as the change candidate. Throughout his campaign, Pinion has vowed to push back against career corporate politicians, restore New York and take back the American dream. The Republican candidate wants to build an “uncommon coalition” of working-class voters. If elected, Pinion would become New York’s first Black U.S. senator.