Posted on 03/22/2010 1:06:20 PM PDT by neverdem
Andrew Cuomo, gearing up for a late April announcement, breathed a loud sigh of relief over the weekend after hard-charging Democratic-turned-Republican Steve Levy failed to win Conservative Party backing for his new gubernatorial campaign.
While Attorney General Cuomo enjoys a wide lead over all comers in the race for governor, he and his advisers believe the high-energy "and a little crazy" Suffolk County executive is a far more dangerous GOP opponent than former Rep. Rick Lazio, the undistinguished current Conservative favorite, or little-known Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino, Democratic insiders say.
"There is a lot of anger out there in New York, and a candidate like Steve Levy may be able to channel it," said Retail, Wholesale and Department Store workers union President Stuart Appelbaum, a prominent Democrat and the first labor leader in the state to endorse Cuomo.
"Democrats better realize that this is going to be a difficult election year," he told The Post.
A longtime Cuomo associate called Levy "a little crazy," "something of a nut" and "impossible to work with" but added, "This is an election year when nutty things can happen, and the voters might like a bomb thrower like Levy."
While Lazio defeated Levy in a vote taken by Conservative leaders Saturday, it could be reversed at the party's June nominating convention.
Levy has earned a reputation as a tough fiscal conservative, a strong opponent of illegal immigration and a feisty battler against powerful municipal labor unions during his two terms as county executive. Such positions could tap into the taxpayer revolt that led to the defeats of the Democratic executives of Westchester and Nassau counties last fall and propelled Republican Scott Brown to the Senate in Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, Democrats close to Cuomo predict his long-awaited announcement will come on the weekend of April 23-24...
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I love Red Eye !
The Conservative and Republican parties in NY are both vote wasting nightmares.
I swear that the leadership of both is on the democrat party payroll.
Andrew ‘Evil-eye’ Cuomo, son of the ‘sFachime’ is the crazy one...
New York deserves another Cuomo.
Corrupt to the bone.
I KNOW PALADINO PERSONALLY AND HE IS AS CONSERVATIVE AS THEY COME
LETS TRY TO TOSS HIM SOME SUPPORT
HE CAN *EASILY* GO FROM “LITTLE KNOWN” BUFFALO BUSINESS MAN INTO THE TOP SPOT IN THIS CLIMATE
HE WILL TEAR LAZIO TO SHREDS IN A DEBATE
I <3 TV’s Andy Levy!
NY Poll: GOP Voters Favor Lazio As Levy Switches Parties
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
He must have the dems in a really tight spot to cause them to resort to those kinds of slander tactics. They can't have anything on him or they'd be using that.
So, in typical lib fashion, they just try to discredit him with name calling and attacks on his character.
Levy is a much better candidate. Terrific at retail politics, fundraising. Already has full campaign coffers.He has an excellent record as Suffolk County Exec.
Lazio and Paladino would be big losers in NY againsy Cuomo. Levy would have a fighting chance.
Thanks for the ping!
What drugs are you on? Levy is NOT a Republican and he will be defeated by Paladino. I am on Carl’s campaign and am running his grass roots campaign, just watch as our campaign unfolds.
Your insults are inappropriate in FR.
Steve Levy switched parties and became a Republican, or haven’t you heard?
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