There aren’t many people in American public life who can claim they’ve served in the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq, argued cases as the youngest attorney in New York State history, represented the same congressional district for eight years, nearly won a governor’s race in one of the bluest states in the country, survived leukemia, and then become the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency — all before their mid-40s.
But that’s Lee Zeldin’s story, and it’s a genuinely remarkable one.
Whether you admire his record or fiercely disagree with it, the Lee Zeldin biography is one of the more layered and surprising political stories of the last decade. He’s been called a war hero, a MAGA loyalist, a moderate pragmatist, and a dangerous deregulator — sometimes all in the same week. In this article, we’re covering everything you need to know: his early life on Long Island, his military service, his legal career, his rise through New York politics, his congressional work, the 2022 governor’s race, and his current role dismantling (or rebuilding, depending on who you ask) the EPA.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Who Is Lee Zeldin? A Quick Overview Before We Dive In
Lee Michael Zeldin is an American politician, attorney, and retired Army Reserve officer. Born in 1980, he spent more than two decades building a career that moved fluidly between military service, law, and elected office. He served as a New York State Senator, then as a U.S. Congressman for four terms, ran for Governor of New York in 2022, and was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2025 as the 17th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency — a role he uses with clear ideological purpose.
He’s a Republican. He’s Jewish. He’s deeply loyal to Trump. And he’s one of the most fascinating, complicated political figures operating at the federal level today.
Early Life in Long Island — Where It All Started
Born in East Meadow, Raised in Suffolk County
Lee Zeldin was born on January 30, 1980, in East Meadow, New York. He grew up in Suffolk County on Long Island — a working-class stretch of the New York suburbs that shaped his values, his politics, and his understanding of what average Americans actually deal with day to day.
He graduated from William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach in 1998. It wasn’t a prestigious prep school. It was a regular public high school in a blue-collar Long Island community. That grounded upbringing is something he’s returned to repeatedly throughout his career when making the case that he understands ordinary people’s concerns about taxes, jobs, and government overreach.
A Family Rooted in Jewish Faith and Public Service
Zeldin comes from a family with a deep rabbinical legacy. His grandfather, Rabbi Abraham Jacob “Jack” Zeldin, founded the Farmingdale Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue. His great-uncle, Isaiah Zeldin, was a prominent rabbi who founded the Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles — one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country. His great-grandfather, Morris A. Zeldin, co-founded the UJA-Federation of New York, one of the most important Jewish philanthropic organizations in American history.
So when you hear Lee Zeldin talk about his Jewish identity, or when he becomes one of only two Jewish Republicans in Congress, it’s not performative. He was raised inside an institution that shaped Jewish public life in America. That heritage is genuinely woven into who he is.
From Hebrew School to High School — His Formative Years
Alongside his regular schooling, Zeldin attended Hebrew school as a child — a standard part of Jewish education that covers religious texts, Jewish history, and cultural traditions. He was raised within a mix of Conservative and Reform Jewish traditions, reflecting the diverse religious landscape within his own extended family.
It’s worth noting his family’s faith because it later became a genuinely interesting backdrop to his marriage: Zeldin, deeply Jewish, married Diana, a practicing Mormon. More on that in the personal life section.
Lee Zeldin’s Education — The Academic Path That Built a Lawyer and a Leader
SUNY Albany — Political Science and an Early Ambition
After graduating high school, Zeldin enrolled at the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany), where he studied political science. He graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree — and he graduated cum laude, which tells you he wasn’t just biding his time. He was genuinely engaged and academically serious.
It was also at SUNY Albany where he completed Army ROTC training, planting the seeds for a military career that would run parallel to everything else he did.
Albany Law School — Becoming New York’s Youngest Attorney at 23
From SUNY Albany, Zeldin went straight to Albany Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2003. That same year, he passed the New York State Bar exam and was sworn into the New York State Bar at just 23 years old — making him, at that time, the youngest licensed attorney in the state of New York.
That’s not a small thing. It’s an early signal of the kind of focused, disciplined trajectory that defines his career. He wasn’t drifting. He had a plan.
Military Career — Four Years of Active Duty and Two Decades in the Reserve
ROTC Commission and Entry into the Military Intelligence Corps
After law school, Zeldin didn’t go straight to a law firm. He honored his ROTC commitment and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He joined the Military Intelligence Corps and went on active duty from 2003 to 2007, serving in multiple capacities — as a Military Intelligence Officer, a Federal Prosecutor, and a Military Magistrate.
It’s an unusual combination. Most people who join the military right out of law school don’t also serve as prosecutors and magistrates early in their career. Zeldin did.
Deploying to Iraq With the 82nd Airborne Division in 2006
The defining moment of his military service came in the summer of 2006. While assigned to the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division — which is not where you end up if you’re not physically and professionally exceptional — Zeldin deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He embedded with an infantry battalion of paratroopers.
This wasn’t a desk deployment. He was in a combat zone with one of the most storied divisions in the U.S. Army. That experience shaped his views on foreign policy, veterans’ affairs, and national security in ways that you can trace directly through his congressional record and his public statements.
The Long Road to Lieutenant Colonel — His Reserve Career
When Zeldin returned from Iraq in 2007, he transitioned from active duty to the Army Reserve. He didn’t simply leave; he stayed in for over two decades, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He officially retired from the Army Reserve on April 30, 2025 — 22 years after he was first commissioned. That’s a long, sustained commitment to military service alongside a demanding political career, and it’s something worth noting.
Legal Career — From the Port Authority to Private Practice
In 2007, Zeldin took a position as an attorney for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Port Authority is one of the most significant public agencies in the region, managing airports, bridges, tunnels, and ports across the New York-New Jersey area. Working there gave him experience in public law and infrastructure policy.
In 2008, he left to open his own general-practice law firm in Smithtown, New York. He ran it full-time until his entry into state politics, which means he was simultaneously running a law practice and serving in the Army Reserve while preparing for his first major political campaign. That’s a lot to manage.
New York State Senate (2011–2014) — His First Chapter in Politics
Defeating Brian Foley and Making His Mark
In 2010, Zeldin ran for the New York State Senate in the 3rd District, challenging Democratic incumbent Brian X. Foley. He won with 57% of the vote — a strong margin in a competitive district. He was re-elected in 2012, again winning with a commanding 56%.
His entry into state politics was well-timed. It came during a Tea Party wave year, and Zeldin rode that energy without being consumed by it. He positioned himself as a conservative with credibility — a lawyer, an Army veteran, someone who understood both policy and service.
Key Legislative Wins — The Property Tax Cap and Veterans’ PTSD Program
During his time in the State Senate, Zeldin co-sponsored the bill that established a 2% property tax cap in New York — a policy that directly benefited middle-class homeowners in high-tax Long Island communities. It was one of the more popular conservative achievements of that legislative session.
He also created the PFC Joseph Dwyer PTSD Peer-to-Peer Veterans Support Program, a counseling program for veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. The program started in Suffolk County and expanded statewide. It’s the kind of practical, community-based policy work that doesn’t make national headlines but has a real impact on people’s lives.
Controversial Votes — Marriage Equality and the NY SAFE Act
Not every vote Zeldin cast in Albany won him friends. In June 2011, he voted against the Marriage Equality Act, which passed the State Senate 33–29 and was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. His stated position was that marriage should be between a man and a woman.
In January 2013, he wasn’t present for the vote on the NY SAFE Act — a sweeping gun control bill — because he was away on Army Reserve duty. He later said he would have voted against it.
These votes positioned him firmly as a social conservative, and that’s a characterization he’s never really pushed back against.
U.S. Congress (2015–2023) — Eight Years Representing New York’s 1st District
Winning His First Congressional Race Against Tim Bishop in 2014
Zeldin had actually tried to win New York’s 1st Congressional District seat before — in 2008, he challenged incumbent Democrat Tim Bishop and lost 58%–42%. He came back six years later with more experience, more name recognition, and a better political environment for Republicans. In 2014, he beat Bishop with 54% of the vote.
He went on to win re-election three more times — in 2016, 2018, and 2020 — representing a district that includes the eastern end of Long Island, including parts of Suffolk County and the Hamptons.
His Work on the Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees
During his eight years in Congress, Zeldin served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee for all eight of them, and the House Financial Services Committee for six. These are influential committees that shape U.S. foreign policy, military assistance, international banking regulation, and financial markets.
From that perch, he became a consistent and outspoken voice on U.S.-Israel relations, anti-semitism, border security, and military affairs. He co-chaired the House Republican Israel Caucus, which grew to over 100 members during his tenure. He also secured a $2 billion Electron Ion Collider for Brookhaven National Laboratory in his district — a significant scientific infrastructure win that will have long-term research implications.
One of Only Two Jewish Republicans in Congress
For much of his time in Congress, Zeldin was one of just two Jewish Republicans in the entire House of Representatives. That’s a genuinely unusual position — existing at the intersection of Jewish identity and Republican Party politics, at a time when those two things were in increasingly visible tension, particularly around Trump’s rhetoric and the 2020 election.
He navigated that position by being loudly pro-Israel and publicly committed to fighting antisemitism, while also remaining firmly in Trump’s corner even when other Republicans were distancing themselves.
Defending Trump Through Both Impeachments
Zeldin was one of Trump’s most visible defenders during the first impeachment proceedings in 2019, which centered on the Trump-Ukraine scandal. He sat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, making him a natural presence in those hearings, and he used that platform aggressively to push back on the case Democrats were making.
When Trump’s second impeachment came, following January 6, 2021, Zeldin voted against it.
Voting Against the 2020 Election Certification
On January 6 and 7, 2021, Zeldin voted against certifying the electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania — a vote that reflected his alignment with Trump’s claims about the 2020 election. For his supporters, it was a principled stand. For his critics, it was one of the most damaging decisions of his congressional career. It’s a vote that still comes up every time his name appears in political coverage.
The 2022 New York Governor’s Race — The Closest He Came
Taking On Kathy Hochul in a Blue State
In April 2021, Zeldin announced he would run for Governor of New York in 2022. New York hadn’t elected a Republican governor in 20 years. He was widely seen as a longshot. He defeated three primary challengers — Rob Astorino, Andrew Giuliani, and Harry Wilson — to become the Republican and Conservative Party nominee.
What followed was one of the more surprising gubernatorial races in recent New York memory.
The July 2022 Assassination Attempt Nobody Talks About
Here’s something almost no biography page covers: on July 21, 2022, during a campaign rally in Perinton, New York, a man rushed the stage and attempted to stab Zeldin with a sharp weapon. Zeldin physically wrestled with the attacker and was not seriously injured. The attacker was arrested.
The incident barely changed the trajectory of the news cycle, which says something about the pace of political life in 2022. But it was a genuine assassination attempt on a major-party gubernatorial candidate, and it deserves to be part of any serious account of his life.
The Results — A Historic Republican Performance That Wasn’t Enough
Zeldin lost to incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul — but the margin was far tighter than anyone predicted. He received the highest percentage of the vote for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in New York since 2002 and the highest raw vote total for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the state’s history.
His strong performance at the top of the ticket was credited with helping Republicans flip several suburban House districts across New York, contributing to the Republican majority in the House of Representatives that took shape after the 2022 midterms. He lost. But in losing, he arguably delivered the House to his party.
From Environmental Moderate to EPA Deregulator — The Political Evolution Nobody Expected
His Earlier, More Centrist Stance on Climate and Environment
This is where Zeldin’s story gets genuinely complicated. During his time in Congress, Zeldin wasn’t the anti-environment crusader his critics now describe. He joined a bipartisan caucus to address climate change. He supported solar energy and offshore wind. He backed conservation initiatives for his own Long Island district, which borders a national wildlife refuge and is directly threatened by rising sea levels linked to climate change.
His environmental voting record from the League of Conservation Voters gave him 14% — not great, but not the zero you’d expect from his post-2025 rhetoric. He supported some PFAS contamination bills, opposed offshore oil drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and championed local conservation projects.
How His Position Shifted After Aligning Fully With Trump
Something changed. As Zeldin moved deeper into the MAGA lane — defending both impeachments, voting against election certification, running a Trump-aligned gubernatorial campaign — his positions on environmental issues shifted in lockstep. By the time he was nominated as EPA Administrator, he was talking about the “largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history” and repositioning the agency away from public health protection toward energy production.
A Yale Law School professor described it as shocking that an EPA administrator didn’t even mention protecting public health and the environment when announcing his own vision. Christine Todd Whitman, who led the EPA under George W. Bush — a Republican — openly criticized him. The transformation from moderate blue-state Republican to full deregulatory warrior is one of the more striking political evolutions in recent American public life.
EPA Administrator (2025–Present) — Zeldin’s Most Powerful Role Yet
How Trump Nominated Him and What the Senate Vote Looked Like
In November 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. His confirmation hearing took place on January 16, 2025. At that hearing, Zeldin stated that climate change is real and needs to be addressed — a position that read as a nod toward moderation, even as his subsequent actions suggested otherwise.
The Senate confirmed him 56–42 on January 29, 2025. Notably, three Democratic senators — John Fetterman, Mark Kelly, and Ruben Gallego — crossed party lines to vote for him, citing their belief that he would be a more reasonable steward of the agency than some other potential nominees. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh administered the oath of office.
The “Powering the Great American Comeback” Initiative
On February 4, 2025, Zeldin unveiled the EPA’s “Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative,” his overarching framework for the agency’s direction. It organized the EPA’s work around five pillars, centering energy production, economic growth, and deregulation above the environmental and public health missions the agency was originally created to fulfill.
He has framed this as returning the EPA to its core mission. Critics have framed it as gutting that mission entirely.
The Largest Deregulatory Push in EPA History
By March 2025, Zeldin had announced what he described as “the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history.” This included plans to repeal protections for wetlands, lift limits on tailpipe and smokestack pollution, revisit the endangerment finding (the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases), and allow coal-burning power plants to apply for exemptions from pollution rules.
The agency also announced plans to cut jobs, eliminate its scientific research division, and reduce the EPA’s overall budget by roughly 65%. That’s not a trim — it’s a fundamental restructuring of what the agency does and who it serves. By his own accounting, operational savings at the EPA under his leadership had reached approximately $30 billion by the 300th day of the Trump administration.
Criticism From Scientists, Former EPA Chiefs, and Environmentalists
The response from the scientific and environmental community has been swift and sustained. Environmental groups have filed lawsuits. Former EPA administrators from both parties have raised concerns. Scientists at the agency itself have gone public with objections.
Whether history judges Zeldin’s EPA tenure as bold reform or dangerous rollback will depend largely on the political lens of whoever’s writing that history. What’s not in dispute is that he’s one of the most consequential EPA administrators in the agency’s history — in terms of pure volume of policy change, if nothing else.
Personal Life — The Side of Lee Zeldin Most People Don’t Know
His Wife Diana — A Mormon Married to a Jewish Politician
Lee Zeldin married Diana in a private ceremony in early January (their anniversary is January 11). They met while attending SUNY Albany and have been together for more than two decades.
The interfaith dynamic in their marriage is genuinely interesting. Lee is Jewish — deeply connected to his faith and family’s rabbinical heritage. Diana is a practicing Mormon. They’ve navigated that difference quietly and privately, choosing to raise their daughters in the Jewish faith while clearly maintaining a strong marriage. It’s the kind of arrangement that doesn’t fit neatly into political stereotypes about conservative politicians and religious conformity.
Diana has worked as an Intellectual Property specialist and has largely stayed out of the public eye, appearing at campaign events and public functions as a supportive presence without ever seeking her own platform. She’s described by those who know the family as the grounded, steady force behind a husband whose career demands enormous amounts of time and energy.
His Twin Daughters Mikayla and Arianna — Born 14 Weeks Early
This is a piece of the Lee Zeldin story that almost never appears in political coverage, and it should. His twin daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, were born 14 and a half weeks premature. They each weighed just one and a half pounds at birth.
Zeldin has spoken about this on social media with raw honesty. He described the odds as stacked against them and recalled the moment when doctors actually encouraged him and Diana to let Mikayla go — a memory that’s difficult to read and impossible to forget. The twins, against those odds, survived. They grew up healthy and are raised in the Jewish faith, attending Hebrew school.
That experience — watching your children fight for their lives in a neonatal intensive care unit — shapes a person. It’s part of the backstory behind a public figure who often talks about resilience, determination, and faith.
Leukemia Diagnosis, Treatment, and Remission
In November 2020, Zeldin was diagnosed with leukemia. He didn’t disclose it publicly for nearly a year — the announcement came on September 18, 2021, when he simultaneously revealed the diagnosis and the fact that he was in remission following treatment.
He continued his political work throughout this period, managing his illness alongside the demands of congressional service. By the time he went public, he had already beaten it. He went on to run a statewide gubernatorial campaign less than a year later.
His leukemia diagnosis has been mentioned in profiles but rarely explored with any depth. For a man who frequently invokes resilience as a defining value, the fact that he fought cancer privately while carrying out public responsibilities is one of the more revealing details of his character.
Zeldin Cares — His Post-Congress Charity Work
After leaving Congress at the end of 2022, Zeldin didn’t simply pivot to private consulting. He created a charity called Zeldin Cares, which he chairs. The organization focuses on causes connected to his personal and political commitments — including veterans’ issues and community support.
He also joined the Board of the Republican Jewish Coalition and founded Zeldin Strategies, a consulting firm. These moves positioned him within the conservative policy ecosystem in a way that ultimately led to his EPA nomination.
Lee Zeldin’s Net Worth — What He’s Built Across Law, Politics, and Public Service
Zeldin’s net worth is estimated at between $2 million and $5 million, depending on the source. His wealth has been built through a combination of his law career (including private practice and his Port Authority role), his congressional salary over eight years, and his post-Congress consulting and advisory work.
He owns a home in Shirley, New York, where he and Diana raised their daughters. In 2024, the Zeldins also purchased a home in Washington, D.C., ahead of his Senate confirmation and transition into the EPA role.
He doesn’t come from money. He built what he has through decades of work across multiple demanding careers simultaneously.
Lee Zeldin Quick Facts at a Glance
- Full name: Lee Michael Zeldin
- Born: January 30, 1980, in East Meadow, New York
- Age: 45 years old (as of 2025)
- Raised in: Suffolk County, Long Island
- High school: William Floyd High School, Mastic Beach, New York (graduated 1998)
- College: SUNY Albany — B.A. Political Science, cum laude (2001)
- Law school: Albany Law School — Juris Doctor (2003)
- Youngest attorney in New York State at the time of his bar admission (age 23)
- Military: U.S. Army active duty 2003–2007; Army Reserve 2007–2025; retired as Lieutenant Colonel
- Deployed to Iraq with 82nd Airborne Division, 2006
- Political party: Republican
- New York State Senate: 3rd District, 2011–2014
- U.S. House of Representatives: New York’s 1st District, 2015–2023
- 2022 Republican nominee for Governor of New York (lost to Kathy Hochul)
- EPA Administrator: 17th, sworn in January 29, 2025
- Married to: Diana Zeldin (married January 11)
- Children: Twin daughters, Mikayla and Arianna
- Religion: Jewish (Conservative/Reform tradition)
- Net worth: Estimated $2–5 million
- Leukemia survivor (diagnosed November 2020, remission announced September 2021)
- Founder of Zeldin Cares charity and Zeldin Strategies consulting firm
Frequently Asked Questions About Lee Zeldin
What is Lee Zeldin’s political party?
Lee Zeldin is a member of the Republican Party. He’s also run on the Conservative Party line in New York and is closely aligned with Donald Trump and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party.
What is Lee Zeldin doing now in 2025?
As of 2025, Lee Zeldin is serving as the 17th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a position he was confirmed to by the Senate in a 56–42 vote on January 29, 2025. In that role, he’s leading what he describes as the largest deregulatory effort in the agency’s history.
Did Lee Zeldin serve in combat?
Yes. Zeldin deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, in the summer of 2006 while assigned to the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division. He served as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served on active duty from 2003 to 2007 and continued in the Army Reserve for over two decades, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in April 2025.
Why did Lee Zeldin lose the 2022 governor’s race?
Zeldin lost to incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul in the November 2022 election. Despite dramatically outperforming expectations — achieving the best Republican gubernatorial result in New York in 20 years — he couldn’t overcome the Democratic voter registration advantage in a statewide race. His strong performance, however, helped Republicans flip several suburban House seats and contributed to the Republican House majority.
What is Lee Zeldin’s stance on climate change?
It’s complicated and has evolved over time. During his congressional career, Zeldin joined bipartisan climate caucuses and supported some clean energy legislation. At his EPA confirmation hearing, he stated that climate change is real. However, as EPA Administrator, his actions have moved sharply in a deregulatory direction, rolling back emissions rules, revisiting the legal basis for greenhouse gas regulation, and prioritizing energy production over environmental protection.
Who are Lee Zeldin’s twin daughters?
Zeldin’s daughters are named Mikayla and Arianna. They were born as identical twins approximately 14 and a half weeks premature, weighing just about one and a half pounds each at birth. Both survived against difficult odds and are raised in the Jewish faith, attending Hebrew school.
What happened with Lee Zeldin’s leukemia?
In November 2020, Zeldin was diagnosed with leukemia while serving in Congress. He kept the diagnosis private during his treatment. On September 18, 2021, he publicly announced both the diagnosis and the fact that he had achieved remission following treatment. He went on to run for governor the following year.
What is Zeldin Cares?
Zeldin Cares is a charity founded by Lee Zeldin after he left Congress at the end of 2022. He serves as its chairman. The organization focuses on causes aligned with his public service history, including veterans’ issues and community support initiatives. It was part of his transition from elected official to a broader role in the conservative policy and advocacy ecosystem before his EPA nomination.