Posted on 02/01/2006 3:16:44 PM PST by neverdem
The intriguing politics of the New York governor's race, which still has nine months to go, took on much sharper definition yesterday when the Republican billionaire Tom Golisano announced that he would not run.
The absence of Mr. Golisano and his huge personal fortune, with which he could have swamped the race with commercials, was seen as giving a boost to the candidacy of former Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld, who faces three others seeking the Republican nomination.
Mr. Golisano, 63, a Rochester entrepreneur and the owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team, had a reputation as the most feisty and prickly of the Republican field, meaning that the primary contest may now end up being more gentlemanly.
The Democrats, rather suddenly, may now be the ones facing a hard-fought, potentially damaging primary, between Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who has $19 million on hand, and Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive, who has $5 million and a mother lode of ambition.
Both Republicans and Democrats hailed the Golisano announcement as a major moment in the first wide-open governor's race since George E. Pataki won in 1994. Mr. Golisano entered the last three races and spent $74 million in 2002, largely attacking Mr. Pataki. Some New York Republican leaders, who disliked Mr. Golisano for those attacks, were delighted to see him go, given how it might help their favorite candidate, Mr. Weld.
But other Republicans and conservatives said that Mr. Weld, a New York native, now faces more pressure to improve his rusty campaign skills and hone his message, and also confront articles in the news media that have raised questions about his leadership of a now-bankrupt trade school in Kentucky.
Stephen J. Minarik III, the state Republican chairman, said that without Mr. Golisano's money, his party's candidates would have...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Sadly, the NY race is shaping up to be the "4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse" vs Yacko, Wacko, and Dot.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
Yup, I had it yesterday!
http://albanysinsanity.speakupwny.com/
Thanks for the link.
As a Republican political consultant, I will be doing everything I can to help Tom Suozzi. Elliot Spitzer must be stopped.
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