the first time. lee deld design, a republican member of congress from long island in new york. he had been elected to congress for the first time in 2014. 2014 was an election year that was pretty good for republicans, and that year in 2014, lee zeldin had turfed out a democratic incumbent and taken that seat in congress for the republican party. so he's up for reelection for the first time in 2016. but his district had been democratic pretty recently. he was seen as vulnerable. the republican party ended up dumping resources into his race. 2016 was a presidential election year. it looked like it might go better for democrats, right? lee zeldin in 2016 was definitely on the bubble as to whether or not he was going to be just a one-term congressman. but at the apex of that crucial race for him in 2016, congressman lee zeldin's campaign did something that was a little hinky, especially in retrospect it seems really hinky.