Free Republic

ALBANY — City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr., weighing his options in the wake of a surprisingly close loss in the mayoral race, is seriously considering challenging Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand in next year’s primary elections, according to people who have spoken to Mr. Thompson and his advisers. Challenging Senator Gillibrand is one of three options being mulled by Mr. Thompson and his advisers. He is also considering a run against the state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, in the primaries, or returning to the private sector for now and running again for mayor in 2013. With the primary 10 months...

Few people knew that he was thinking about it in the first place, but Theodore Roosevelt IV, a wealthy investment banker with serious credentials on environmental issues and in foreign policy — and of course, that famous name — now says he will not seek the Republican nomination for the Senate from New York in 2010. Mr. Roosevelt, the great-grandson of the 26th president, worked at Lehman Brothers and is now a managing director at Barclays Capital. He said he began studying a run against Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, a Democrat, over the summer and was encouraged by talks with...

In what could be one of the most hotly contested Senate races in 2010, former New York City Mayor and failed Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is in a statistical dead heat with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a new Zogby IVR poll finds. Forty-five percent prefer Giuliani and 43% side with the incumbent Gillibrand, well within the poll's 3.2% margin of error. 'IVR' or Interactive Voice Response is a polling methodology that uses a recorded human voice to administer a survey to participants who respond via a telephone touchpad. In another potential match-up Senator Gillibrand holds a slight lead over...

Pataki would actually be behind 45-42 if he ran. It's pretty clear to me who should run, and that's Rudy. I'm willing to look past the issues like abortion where he is less than conservative if it means a sure win over Gillibrand. I'm pretty sure Pataki isn't so conservative either, so really there's not much of a choice. Don't they have to announce pretty soon whether they are running? In Texas the deadline to get on the primary ballot is January 4th.

Giuliani Said To Be Leaning Toward Senate Race N.Y. Times report says he's decided against run for governor Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was reported by The New York Times to have ruled out a run for governor. By MICHAEL GORMLEY Associated Press Writer ALBANY, N.Y. - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is leaning toward running for the U.S. Senate rather than making a bid for governor, two Republican advisers said Thursday. "From staff, we have been hearing that he has been indicating quietly and privately recently that governor might not be the best fit for him...

Published reports out today have squelched the long-standing rumors that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will run for governor of New York State. But, what if Giuliani makes a bid for the U.S. Senate? Giuliani leads U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the Democrat appointed by Governor David Paterson to fill the vacant seat left by Hillary Clinton. 54% of registered voters statewide would vote for Giuliani compared with 40% who would support Gillibrand. Even one-third of Democrats report they would back the Republican challenger, and Giuliani runs competitively against Gillibrand in overwhelmingly Democratic New York City.

Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has decided not to run for governor of New York next year after months of mulling a candidacy, according to people who have been told of the decision. .. It remains unclear whether the former mayor is considering any other political race in 2010. Some have urged him to take on the newly installed Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, who has never run statewide and is still introducing herself to voters in parts of the state. The decision will be a boon to other Republican contenders. So far, Rick Lazio, a former congressman from Long Island,...

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided not to run for governor next year - but will run for U.S. Senate instead, sources told the Daily News. A source familiar with Giuliani's thinking said the failed presidential candidate has been telling people he plans to run against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010 to fill out the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton's term. If elected, the source said, he could use that as a stepping stone to run for President in 2012 - rather than run for re-election to the Senate. A Giuliani spokeswoman downplayed the reports. "Rudy has a...

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided not to run for governor next year - but will run for U.S. Senate instead, sources told the Daily News. A source familiar with Giuliani's thinking said the failed presidential candidate has been telling people he plans to run against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010 to fill out the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton's term.

Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party nominee who lost to Democrat Bill Owens in New York’s special election last week, says he is “seriously considering” another run for the seat. Hoffman told the conservative Human Events newspaper in a story published Thursday that after losing 49 percent to 47 percent, he is assessing his chances of defeating Owens next year.

House Democrats passed the 2,032-page Pelosicare bill on a near party-line vote Saturday night 220-215 (roll call here). The only Republican voting in favor of the measure was New Orleans-based Joseph Cao who has long ago proven to be a tax and spend (and spend and spend) liberal. After a week of intense arm twisting, threats and promises from party leaders, more than half of the 52 so-called conservative Blue Dog Democrats voted in favor of the over $1.3 trillion measure. These are the 28 Blue Dogs voting in favor of Pelosicare (who apparently fear the wrath of House Speaker...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- The wave of voter anger aimed at incumbents in last Tuesday's off-year elections is just what an against-all-odds campaign in New York's governor's race needed. Two weeks ago, Republican candidate Rick Lazio was quietly running an uphill campaign for the 2010 race. He faced a rising Democratic wave in New York, with every statewide office held by Democrats, rising party enrollment and a Democrat in the White House. Lazio even called his effort "the little engine that could." But the Election Day vote that ended the tenures of suburban county executives, legislators and two governors gave...

Gov. Still Plans To Run Despite President's Request He Not Brings President Clinton's Former Deputy Chief Of Staff On BoardEmbattled Gov. David Paterson is pulling out all the stops to save his job. He plans to mount a major ad blitz to tell New Yorkers about all the good things he's done for the Empire State. The election may be over, but the political ads aren't. The governor is now taking to the air waves to convince New Yorkers he deserves to stay in office. "What it's geared to do is talk about his very good record over the last...

The third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives on Wednesday endorsed Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman for the 2010 midterm elections. House Republican Conference chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) offered his support to Hoffman, who was defeated at the hands of Democrat Bill Owens in a highly contested special election in upstate New York. "Well, let me say that the lesson here is that we all need to fall behind Doug Hoffman for next fall’s election," Pence told a conservative blog today. "I look forward to welcoming him to Congress a year from now. I think he ran a brilliant campaign."

Senate Republican campaign chief John Cornyn (Texas) turned his eye toward New York this week, and on Thursday he expressed confidence the GOP could go after Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in 2010. New York has emerged as perhaps the next big recruiting target for Cornyn. Candidates have flooded primaries in other races, but all eyes in New York are on Gov. George Pataki, who could decide as early as the next two weeks.

Sarah Palin could make a huge difference in the NY23 special election, and everybody knows it. I hinted at this earlier today -- "Lipstick, baby!" -- and as I like to remind my readers from time to time, there are no accidents. Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman is in the fight of his life against the GOP establishment's hand-picked RINO, in a crucial election that Hoffman's media coordinator Rob Ryan says is "a referendum on the future of the Republican Party." One point to make clear: No official in the Hoffman campaign has said a word to me about Sarah...

Ethics fight hits Rep. Charles Rangel's campaign funds; could hurt him in 2010 electionBY Michael Saul DAILY NEWS SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Saturday, October 17th 2009, 4:00 AM Rep. Charles Rangel's campaign coffers are being drained by his battle to survive an ethics probe, leaving him vulnerable to a well-funded challenger next year. The Harlem Democrat spent more than $250,000 in campaign cash on legal fees from July 1 to Sept. 30, newly released records show - 56% of his total expenses for the period. His overall lawyer bills now total $1.1 million since a House Ethics Committee probe into his...

The media is all over the new Siena poll which shows Dede Scozzafava's support collapsing in New York's 23rd Congressional District. This is a special election in November in a district that has elected a Republican since 1871. But party bosses saw fit to nominate a woman who is not only pro-gay marriage and pro-abortion, she has an economic record that has lead the Club For Growth and the American Conservative Union to target her and endorse the Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman, in spite of Newt Gingrich's endorsement.... What's at stake in this race? As Michelle Malkin has written,...

Powell will try to win the seat that Rangel took from his father Harlem State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV may challenge U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel in a race for the congressional seat Rangel has held for nearly 40 years but once belonged Powell’s father. Powell, 47, said he is launching an exploratory committee to see whether he has any chances to win the seat if he runs against the embattled Rangel. "It's no secret I'm interested," Powell said. He has been fund raising since 2004 for a campaign that has yet materialized. He is the son of the late...

Republican heavy hitters are stepping up for the party’s New York special election candidate, after a poll this week showed the GOP in danger of losing that House seat.On Friday, former House Speaker and Republican icon Newt Gingrich announced his endorsement of New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, who is trailing Democrat Bill Owens in a tight three-way race to succeed nine-term GOP Rep. John M. McHugh . McHugh vacated the seat to become secretary of the Army. The Republican National Committee also confirmed Friday that it was making a six-figure transfer to the National Republican Campaign Committee to help in...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) may have stepped into a political quagmire after endorsing a moderate New York Republican's special election bid. A host of GOP leaders have tried to distance themselves from the ongoing showdown between Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, a centrist Republican, and Doug Hoffman, the local Conservative Party's candidate. But Gingrich offered his perspective to the three-way contest for now-Army Secretary John McHugh's vacant seat on Friday when he became one of only a handful of conservative Republicans to openly back his party's struggling candidate. “The special election for the 23rd Congressional District is an important test...

Michael Long, chairman of the Conservative Party of New York, is urging fellow conservatives not to contribute to the National Republican Congressional Committee. His complaint: The NRCC is supporting the Republican candidate in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, who he says is out of step with GOP values. The Republicans have nominated centrist State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava as their candidate in the special election to be held on Nov. 3. In response, the Conservative Party nominated its own candidate, local accountant Doug Hoffman. Hoffman has been getting some traction, winning endorsements from several conservative groups and garnering 16% support in...

Former Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) is announcing that he will back Dede Scozzafava in the special election in New York. “I am supporting Dede Scozzafava in her campaign for Congress," Hensarling said in a statement. "I am backing the only Republican in this race who can win and don’t want to lose this seat to Nancy Pelosi for a generation.” The conservative leader's backing should lend Scozzafava some credibility with the right, as Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman gains endorsements from other conservatives like former presidential candidate Fred Thompson and the American Conservative Union. Hensarling's reference suggests...

The nominee in a looming House special election is at the heart of an angry dispute between conservatives and Republican House leadership, a rift so serious that it threatens the party’s chances of keeping control of the upstate New York seat. At issue is the National Republican Congressional Committee’s support for Dede Scozzafava, a New York assemblywoman who conservatives assert is so liberal that they absolutely cannot support her candidacy. Instead, many conservative groups are rallying behind Doug Hoffman, a third-party candidate running on the Conservative Party line, even though their support for him might pave the way for a...

Talk about killing two birds with one stone. As Congressional Republicans prepare to introduce a bill to calling for Charles Rangel to step down from his position as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee saying his ethics problems make him the poster boy for institutional arrogance, the Democrats are looking to push him out totally and have Governor Paterson run for Rangel's seat in 2010. CBS News in New York reported on the political scheme today.

Will soldiers have enough time to vote?Published: Saturday, October 3, 2009 FORT DRUM (AP) — Military and election officials insist that hundreds of deployed Fort Drum soldiers will have enough time to return their absentee ballots in next month’s special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, even though they won’t be mailed out for another two weeks. Friday was the regular deadline for counties to mail out absentee ballots to military personnel for the Nov. 3 general election. But those ballots don’t have the names of the three candidates in the 23rd District because the special election wasn’t set...

While Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner clearly haven't figured out yet how to work together, left-wing blogger Markos Moulitsas and NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions just as clearly have. How else to explain Moulitsas' endorsement of Sessions' favored candidate for Congress in the special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District? Yes, that's the district newly confirmed Secretary of the Army John McHugh just vacated, where the anointed Republican candidate -- New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava -- has been the subject of local and national conservative scorn. Now comes the endorsement by the left's premier blogger -- and...

Leadership: Scores of congressmen and women are trying to hide from their constituents this August recess as the revolt over ObamaCare continues. If you haven't seen him or her lately, you might try your refrigerator.IBD Exclusive Series: Government-Run Healthcare: A Prescription For FailureIt's amazing how frightened of the community the party of the great community organizer has become now that the community has organized itself against his attempt to impose socialized medicine on the country. They cheered when he told them to get in the faces of their opponents. Now they won't show their faces, period. Senate Majority Whip Dick...

ALBANY -- Gov. David A. Paterson this morning told a national television audience that he is in it to stay for the 2010 campaign, defying President Obama's urging that he not run next year. "You don't give up because you have low poll numbers. You don't give up because everybody's telling you what the future is," Paterson said on NBC's Meet the Press today. While some Democrats in New York last week were privately hoping Paterson would use the television interview today to back off from running, the governor said Obama never told him directly he should not run. Pressed...

Appointed U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand holds a narrow lead over former Governor George Pataki in a hypothetical match-up for New York State’s 2010 Senate race. The first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the campaign shows Gillibrand with 44% of the vote and Pataki with 41%. However, Gillibrand’s numbers appear to be deflated a bit by the fact that 12% of Democrats say they would prefer to vote for some other candidate. Ever since Gillibrand was appointed by Governor David Paterson to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton earlier this year, some Democrats have voiced the opinion that she is too conservative for...

This would be the perfect time to do one of those "caught red handed" commercials, Obama White House changes their story on New York Governor David Paterson, all in the same day...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Embattled New York Governor David Paterson said on Sunday he was still running for office, in the face of reports that President Barack Obama had asked him to withdraw from the 2010 race for fear that he cannot regroup from a series of political setbacks. "I am running for office," Paterson told reporters at a Manhattan parade. "I'm not going to discuss confidential conversations," he said, adding that he planned to continue focusing on matters related to the financial crisis. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the Obama administration is worried Paterson's unpopularity could...

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009 Lazio to Enter N.Y. Governor's Race By SUZANNE SATALINE Rick Lazio, a former Republican congressman from Long Island, N.Y., will announce on Tuesday that he's running for governor, a spokesman said. Mr. Lazio, who served four terms in Congress, chose in 2000 to run for Senate. He lost to Hillary Clinton, who is now secretary of state. Mr. Lazio, 51, is on leave from J.P. Morgan Chase where he is a managing director. He will seek to unseat Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat who is struggling in the polls. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican,...

President Obama is making clear that he doesn’t want embattled Gov. David Paterson to run for a full term next year, according to the New York Times, worried that the governor's unpopularity could cost Democrats Congressional seats in the Empire State and imperil the party's redistricting plans in the future. The delicate nature of the discussions between the White House and Paterson – the administration sent an emissary, Queens congressman Gregory Meeks to deliver the news – underscores the dilemma Obama faces in dealing with the candidacies of leading African-American statewide officials who are viewed unfavorably by their constituents. As...

WASHINGTON — President Obama has sent a request to Gov. David A. Paterson that he withdraw from the New York governor’s race, fearing that Mr. Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing, according to two senior administration officials and a New York Democratic operative with direct knowledge of the situation. The decision to ask Mr. Paterson to step aside was proposed by political advisers to Mr. Obama, but approved by the president himself, one of the administration officials said. “Is there concern about the situation in New York? Absolutely,” the second administration official said Saturday evening. “Has that concern...

Gov. David A. Paterson defiantly vowed to run for election next year despite the White House‘s urging that he withdraw from the New York governor’s race. Appearing tired and agitated as reporters crowded him at a parade in Harlem on Sunday, the governor said that he would not abandon his campaign to seek a full term. “I have said time and time again that I am running for governor next year,” he said at the 40th annual African-American Day Parade. Mr. Paterson would not characterize what he was told by the White House, saying that he would not “discuss confidential...

Prez thinks Paterson must goBy MAGGIE HABERMAN Last Updated: 6:11 AM, September 20, 2009 The Obama administration, fearing that Gov. Paterson is too embattled to remain at the top of the ticket, has sent a direct message asking him not to run for a full term as governor. Multiple sources said the White House and national Democrats, fearful about Paterson's performance, low poll numbers and increasing lack of support, had decided to suggest he not run again, accelerating a timetable for their plans after the governor went on a rant claiming his poll problems are thanks to a racist media...

~ EXCERPT ~ ALBANY, N.Y. - National Democratic Party leaders have asked Gov. David Paterson to consider withdrawing from the 2010 governor's race, according to two senior New York Democratic advisers. Both advisers, who are close to the governor, spoke to The Associated Press on Saturday on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for Paterson. The sources said it was unclear what Paterson would do in response. The New York Times, which originally reported the request on its Web site, said that it was President Barack Obama who asked Paterson to withdraw. The New York...

President Obama has asked New York Governor David Paterson to withdraw from the state's 2010 governor's race for fear that the embattled fellow Democrat cannot regroup from a series of political setbacks, The New York Times reported on Sunday. The Obama administration is worried Paterson's unpopularity could also drag down Democratic members of Congress in New York and the Democratic-controlled state legislature in the November 2010 election...

The Times, citing sources, said Obama is concerned that "Mr. Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing." According to the Times report, the decision to ask Paterson to step aside was proposed by political advisors to Obama, but approved by the president himself.

ALBANY - In a stunning request, the Obama administration has made it clear to poll-challenged Gov. Paterson that the White House would prefer he not seek election to a full four-year term next year. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/09/19/2009-09-19_obama_administration_.html#ixzz0RdGUhJLx

Has Obama asked beleaguered and unpopular NY Governor David Paterson to drop out of the race to keep his seat? That's what the New York Times is reporting. If true, this is fairly extraordinary. It's highly unusual for a president to step in and tell a governor who is not facing something like a crippling scandal or imminent indictment that his time is up. And when it's the first black president telling one of only two black governors to clear the way for someone else...that definitely falls into the category of Stories You Never Expected To Read. The person most...

Former Republican Gov. George Pataki has leapt ahead of Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand in an hypothetical U.S. Senate match-up, according to a new poll out this morning. The statewide Marist College survey found voters would narrowly favor the three-term governor - 48 percent to 44 percent - over the freshman senator if the 2010 election were held today. That's an eight-point swing from a similar poll in July, when Pataki trailed Gillibrand 42 percent to 46 percent.

Oversight: As the Senate votes to de-fund Acorn, add pimping, tax evasion and human trafficking to voter fraud paid for with taxpayer dollars and you have an organized criminal enterprise. It's time to investigate.After Acorn workers were caught on tape in three cities allegedly abetting what they believed was a fraudulent-mortgage and sex-trafficking scheme, the Senate has voted overwhelmingly to strip the group of funding in the Transportation/Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. The amendment, offered by Nebraska Republican Sen. Mike Johanns, passed by an 83-to-7 margin and marked the third time this year that Republicans have tried to block...

Former U.S. Congressman Rick Lazio said today that will run for governor of New York. Lazio, a Republican, will make a formal announcement on Sept. 21 in Albany. He will then spend the week traveling around the state, meeting with voters. Lazio, 51, served part of Long Island in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993-2001. In 2000, he unsuccessfully challenged Democrat Hillary Clinton in the race to fill one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats. Lazio is currently a managing director at J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM), focusing on client relations and public policy issues. He lives downstate....

From the Weekly Standard: The boss hears from two sources that Hillary Clinton is considering stepping down as Secretary of State this fall in order to run for Governor of New York.

A local union leader was booed out of Rep. Tim Bishop's town hall meeting last night in New York.Like they tried to do here in St. Louis, union members, many from outside the district, were snuck into the hall in an effort to stack the deck with a friendly audience. There are reports that as many as three busloads were brought in.Things boiled over when Mr. Mitchell, head of the Long Island Federation of Labor, steps up to the podium and announces that he in fact does not reside within the borders of NY's First Congressional District.

More than 900 residents met U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop's promise to approve only a health care bill that "improves on a status quo that is unacceptable" with a mix of cheers and boos at a packed town hall meeting in Farmingville Thursday night.

Via Gateway Pundit, although I’m certain there’s an alternative explanation. Maybe the leader of the Long Island Federation of Labor couldn’t make it to the town-hall forum in his own district, or perhaps his Representative was busy hiding, like many House Democrats this August. His attempt to pander to the actual constituents of Rep. Tim Bishop results in catcalls and a full minute of disruption. Jim also reports that the Magical Mystery Bus Tour continued for this meeting, with unions sending three busloads of people to the event. Even so, the angry constituents shout them down fairly effectively … or...

A close ally of Rudy Giuliani said Monday night that he believes it's "better than 50-50" that the former mayor will run for governor. "We've spoken on and off this year about it and my impression was always that he was not intent on running, but after our [recent] breakfast ... I would say he's definitely leaning toward it," said Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.). Others close to Giuliani said he will likely make his mind up in the fall. "I think he's leaning more toward it all the time," one source said. "Is he 90-10? I don't think so. He's...