Pirro may have to drop out of Senate race after all :-(

This is taken from a "large metropolitan newspaper".

Ex-Yonkers Mayor Is Ready to Take on Senator Clinton
By DANNY HAKIM
ALBANY, Dec. 17 - New York State Republican leaders have made it clear, or at least most of them have, that they no longer want Jeanine F. Pirro to run for the United States Senate.

But in a party that has shown little recent inclination to unite behind its candidates, who do state Republican leaders want to be the party's standard bearer against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton? Some like John Spencer, a former mayor of Yonkers. Other party leaders want Edward F. Cox, a Manhattan lawyer and former candidate best known as former President Richard M. Nixon's son-in-law, to re-enter the race.

More than ready and willing is Mr. Spencer, 59, a Vietnam veteran and conservative Republican known for an abrasive style, who sees little difference between the politics of Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Pirro, the Westchester County district attorney. The one commercial posted on Mr. Spencer's campaign Web site shows the two women's faces melding as if to show they are cut from the same political cloth.

As a red man in a blue state, he thinks he can win by being unapologetic about being the only "true conservative" in the race..

"I'm totally the opposite of Hillary Clinton," Mr. Spencer said in a recent interview.

"I find it sad in this day and age that anyone thinks that anyone can't be beat. If she was unbeatable, let's cancel the election," he said, adding, "Joe Namath couldn't beat the Baltimore Colts either, and the college kids couldn't beat the Russians."

Some party officials feel that Mr. Spencer, win or lose, could bolster the statewide ticket by mobilizing the conservative base. "John Spencer would ignite the faithful and loyal, our base, and that's the best reason to support his candidacy," said Nick Spano, a state senator from the Yonkers area facing re-election next year after winning by just 18 votes in 2004.

But many others prefer reaching out to Mr. Cox, who has been a prominent Republican fund-raiser and whose politics are closer to the political center. Mr. Cox was a candidate until Gov. George E. Pataki's endorsement of Ms. Pirro in October led to his withdrawal. The mention of his name at a meeting of 56 Republican county leaders on Dec. 12 generated a warm reception, several attendees said.

"I said we ought to run Ed Cox, and it got a considerable round of applause," said Lowell Conrad, the chairman of the Republican Party in Livingston County, who had previously endorsed Mr. Cox.

"The agreement was almost unanimous," he added.

Mr. Conrad has remained in touch with Mr. Cox, and believes he will re-enter the race if Ms. Pirro switches and runs for state attorney general, as party leaders are urging her to do.

"He would be back as the candidate for Senate and would bring with him a great deal of experience in Washington and internationally," said Mr. Conrad. "He has a long résumé of accomplishments. I think he would be a viable candidate, potentially a winning candidate. I think he would run."

Mr. Cox would not comment.

Speaking after the party meeting last week, Stephen Minarik III, the state Republican Party chairman, said: "We're going to have to see how this plays out. I think Ed Cox is a very viable candidate and he deferred running in deference to the governor."

Others doubt that Mr. Cox would re-enter the race.

"I don't see Ed Cox coming back in," said Mike Long, chairman of the Conservative Party, whose endorsement is important for state Republicans. "I think I would have heard from him if he were coming back."

As for Mr. Spencer, Mr. Long said: "If he gets the Republican nomination, he will energize both bases. He will be a clear distinction and the opposite of Hillary Clinton."

Indeed, that is Mr. Spencer's pitch:

"She's a liberal Democrat, I'm a conservative Republican."

On abortion?

"I'm adopted, so I'm obviously pro-life," he said.

The war in Iraq?

"I'm a Vietnam veteran, so I know what it is to come back to a nation that is split by poor politics, Democratic senators who are dividing our nation while our troops are overseas," he said.

"Hillary hangs around with, is part of, a clique that is constantly blaming America first and is criticizing our commander in chief or our military. I, as a former military and person who served in combat, would not do that."

He is also against gay rights, affirmative action and gun control.

But money could be a problem. He has raised less than $1 million, while Mrs. Clinton had nearly $14 million in her war chest in October.

Still, even Mrs. Clinton's backers acknowledge the potential appeal of a conservative challenge to her. They say that conservative groups will rally to whoever the eventual Republican nominee is.

"Any of the nominees will be able to benefit from the Swift boat groups and will be able to raise money nationally," said Howard Wolfson, a senior adviser for Mrs. Clinton.

Mr. Wolfson cited as an example Rick A. Lazio, the former United States representative who ran against Mrs. Clinton for the Senate.

"If you look at the history of it, Lazio got into the race in the spring of 2000 and was able to raise $40 million in six months," he added.

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