Republican pulls ahead for NY House seat

Lee Zeldin, a Republican candidate for the House in New York, has pulled ahead of his opponent, Rep. Tim Bishop, according to a new poll from Siena College.

Zeldin leads Bishop, a Democrat seeking his sixth term, 50 percent to 45 percent, the new poll found. A Siena poll from September had given Bishop a 10-point lead.

{mosads}Election handicappers have tabbed the race between Bishop and Zeldin on Long Island as a toss-up, calling it one of the closest House contests in the nation.

Republicans are widely expected to gain seats in Tuesday’s election. A Zeldin victory could help push the GOP toward winning a dozen seats, which would give Republicans their most seats in the House since just after World War II.

The poll is the second in as many days from Siena with good news for Republicans. A Friday poll gave Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), who was indicted by federal prosecutors this year, a 19-point lead over his Democratic challenger for a seat centered on Staten Island.