Astorino Jumps Into N.Y. Governor's Race

New York's gubernatorial race got its first declared GOP candidate on Wednesday in the form of Rob Astorino, the Westchester county executive who announced via Web video that he would challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in this year's election. "I'm tired of listening to the fairy tale that everything is just great when it's just the opposite. I'm tired of watching New York's decline," Mr. Astorino said in the six-and-a-half minute video. Mr. Astorino, 46 years old, emerged as a likely contender after winning re-election in November in heavily Democratic Westchester with 56% of the vote. The former radio host, however, faces a formidable challenge in Mr. Cuomo. The governor hasn't only maintained strong poll numbers—with 63% favorability statewide, according to an NBC 4 New York/Wall Street Journal/Marist College survey released Wednesday—but has amassed a war chest of $33.3 million, as of his campaign's most recent filing with the state Board of Elections. Mr. Astorino, by comparison, had $1 million in his county executive campaign account as of January. Last month, he opened a campaign account with the state Board of Elections that allows him to raise larger sums for a gubernatorial bid, and Mr. Astorino's principal challenge in the next several months will be to woo major donors.

In his announcement video, the Republican candidate knocked Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, for a laundry list of issues, including what he described as the governor's indecisiveness regarding whether to permit high-volume hydraulic fracturing; a high-tax, antibusiness climate; and his "demonizing" of firearms owners with the gun-control law the governor orchestrated last year. It is unclear, however, whether Mr. Astorino will even secure the GOP nomination. State Republican Committee Chairman Ed Cox has encouraged the county executive to run, saying Mr. Astorino commands respect even among Democrats. But two other brash GOP personalities—2010 Republican gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino and businessman Donald Trump—have also expressed interest in running this year. Mr. Cox said Wednesday that he doesn't know whether there will be a primary, but said of Mr. Astorino that he "has proven in Westchester that he can be a giant-killer." Some prominent Democrats, though, seem unfamiliar with Mr. Astorino. When asked Wednesday if the Republican will pose a significant threat to Mr. Cuomo, state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver got the challenger's first name wrong. "I don't know Bob Astorino. The governor's record will speak for [itself], and I anticipate an overwhelming victory in the state," Mr. Silver said. The state GOP has struggled to find success in the past decade with candidates for statewide office. Only two Republicans since 2002 have obtained more than 40% of the vote, and none has secured a win. A spokesman for the New York state Democratic Committee, Peter Kauffman, said, "We look forward to an entertaining Republican primary process and are ready to run against whomever their nominee is in September." Still, Mr. Astorino has spent months laying the groundwork for his candidacy, with efforts including a November trip to a meeting of the Republican Governors Association in Scottsdale, Ariz., where he consulted with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the group's chairman. On Wednesday, the association's executive director, Phil Cox, said Mr. Astorino's campaign "gives voters a strong alternative to the tax-and-spend, big government administration Gov. Cuomo has imposed upon his state." Mr. Astorino, who also released a shorter version of the video in which he delivered his announcement in Spanish, made a deliberative pitch for his gubernatorial bid. "As a state, are we winning or are we losing today?" Mr. Astorino asked. "Because if New York is winning, re-elect Andrew Cuomo," he said. "But if New York is losing—and the evidence says it is —we need to make a change." __________________

To my fellow New York FReepers, may I please introduce you to Rob Astorino? He is running against Cuomo in our very blue state and needs our support to help him win. He is as conservative as they get. We can kick Cuomo out of office and take back our state. Rob is a good man and can do good for New York. Spread the word. Rob can win; he just needs his message to be heard and the mainstream media will not help at all.

www.robastorino.com

Rob Astorino

Wow he looks like the guy from the x files

Wow he looks like the guy from the x files

Cue spooky music.

You should look at this story from Townhall and if you can get it to his campaign. Cuomo, apparently exerted pressure on Chevron to settle the case as New York's AG.

On Tuesday, Lewis Kaplan, a federal judge in New York, ruled that the Chevron judgment was "procured by fraud" and later covered up by "half-truths." Donziger's legal team "submitted fraudulent evidence," paid off a court-appointed "global expert" and even wrote the $9.5 billion judgment handed down by Ecuadorean Judge Nicolas Zambrano Lozada, who was promised a $500,000 reward by Donziger's legal team.

This could be a problem for Cuomo.

Thanks NoKoolAidforMe.

“..He is running against Cuomo in our very blue state and needs our support to help him win. ..”

I overheard a NYS man, at a gathering, say that we need to get rid the the Dems. I told him Astorino just announced, and told him a bit about him, and I asked the gentleman to tell his friends to donate to Astorino, even if they can only give a small amount. The gentleman said, yes, he does need $$.

We can also help Rob Astorino get name recognition by writing a letter to the editor and include Astorino’s website. A letter to the editor can be short, but let’s get the name out.