Republican candidate for governor Lee Zeldin does not think the ongoing controversy with former President Donald Trump and the search of his Florida estate will hurt the party this November. 

Zeldin, speaking with reporters at a rally in suburban Albany on Tuesday, said it would be the opposite: A galvanizing effect on Republican turnout this November. 

"There's a lot of people who may be voted in a past election and they don't know if they're going to vote in 2022," Zeldin said. "There's a whole lot more people who are far more motivated to get involved in this election because of how that transpired. I believe that what took place has a net negative effect for the Democrats. I really feel like it's been a big mistake, it's been a big misplay. If you're the attorney general and you want to get out and give remarks, you can answer questions from the media."

Federal agents removed boxes of documents from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month, part of an investigation seeking reportedly confidential and top secret records the former president took with him after leaving office. The search, combined with the onoging investigations into the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol as well as his business interests, have given new fuel to Democrats in what is still expected to be a challenging midterm election for the party. 

Republicans have pointed to high gas prices, spiking inflation and a sharp rise in violent crime as factors weighing on voters this fall. Democrats have countered with the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case sending abortion policy back to state governments, and have seized on Trump remaining in the headlines this summer. 

“Since Lee Zeldin is such a strong defender of Donald Trump, New Yorkers deserve to know whether Zeldin will reject Trump’s unconstitutional demand for a ‘redo’ of the 2020 presidential election,” said New York Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs. “Lee Zeldin has stood in lockstep with Donald Trump since day one — supporting the former president’s dangerous MAGA agenda and propelling his hate-filled, conspiracy-fueled lies. New Yorkers can’t afford to go back to Lee Zeldin and Donald Trump’s far-right agenda.”

Zeldin, however, remains upbeat about his chances in Democratic-heavy New York. During the rally to supporters he scoffed at a recent online survey showing him behind by double-digit percentage points, calling it a "fake poll." He added his internal polling showed him behind Hochul by 8 percentage points. 

Zeldin also dismissed the results of a special election in a Hudson Valley swing district after Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Marc Molinaro. The district was vacated in the spring by Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat who had previously unseated Republican John Faso in 2018. 

Ryan campaigned heavily on abortion rights for the battleground seat. 

Zeldin pointed to Ryan's margin of victory being far more narrow compared to Delgado's two victories in 2018 and 2020 (both were years in which Trump was either facing a Democratic backlash or at the top of the Republican ticket). 

"People are covering this race as if the NY-19 special election went from a Republican seat to a Democratic seat," Zeldin said.