“Congressman Zeldin, Alison Esposito and all members of Team Zeldin are safe after tonight’s attack,” spokeswoman Katie Vincentz tweeted Thursday.
Zeldin was giving a speech in Fairport, New York, when a man came on stage “and attempted to stab” Zeldin, a campaign statement said. The GOP lawmaker “grabbed the attacker’s wrist to stop him until several others helped bring the attacker to the ground,” according to the statement.
The congressman returned to the stage to finish his remarks after the alleged perpetrator was taken into custody, Zeldin’s campaign said.
David G. Jakubonis, 43, of Fairport, New York, has been charged with attempted second-degree assault, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said. He was arraigned in municipal court and released on his own recognizance. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Zeldin’s opponent in the November gubernatorial contest, tweeted Thursday evening that she was “relieved to hear” he was not injured in the incident.
“My team briefed me on the incident at Lee Zeldin’s campaign event tonight. Relieved to hear that Congressman Zeldin was not injured and the suspect is in custody. I condemn this violent behavior in the strongest possible terms firm possible — has no place in New York,” Hochul wrote.
Zeldin announced his run for governor last year, tweeting that “the light that was a beacon of what America can be has gone dark.” He clinched the Republican nomination in the race last month.
Zeldin was a vocal defender of former President Donald Trump during his presidency, including publicly defending him during his second impeachment trial. He also echoed Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election and voted against certifying the 2020 election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Zeldin was first elected to Congress in 2014, after serving four years in the New York State Senate.
Hochul, meanwhile, defeated progressive primary challenger and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, whom he also beat in the 2018 lieutenant governor primary.
CNN’s Samantha Beech contributed to this report.