Zeldin, who is Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, told the gathering of state Republicans at The Mayflower Hotel that "the next two years that are ahead of us as New Yorkers is going to require us to recruit the best possible candidates we can up and down this ballot, and it starts with the local elections."

The GOP leader said he hopes to put in a good word for certain conservative politicians in Washington state who are vying for a job in the Trump administration.