I would up that $$ amount even further. Our GOP here in New York is further to the left than many if not most other states Democrats.
Pataki and our GOP are just as bad or even worse than Grey Davis and the liberal Democrats out in California. Yes we only have a $10 Billion deficit compared their $35 Billion but it reality it's much higher. Unlike Davis Pataki doesn't have to have a balanced budget so he can and has borrowed the deficit down and Pataki just passes his spending Boondoggles on to the counties which is one of the reasons why almost every county had double digit tax increases this past year. And even with our deficits Pataki is still planning to add 720,000 more New Yorkers to our already over burdened medicaid.
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fhplus/letter.htm
Hillary Clinton only wishes she could have done half as much to socialize health care as Pataki already has done in New York.
Speaking of which If you read many of the post around here in FR, many people are hoping that Pataki takes out Hillary in 2006. I for one do not. I wouldn't cast a vote for Pataki even if his opponent was Satan himself. I worked for his campaign in 1994 agaist Mario and I am really sorry I did. I am just hoping Dante was right because the lowest pits of hell awaits the ultimate traitor Pataki
Unfortunately as to third party candidates, We don't even have that in New York. Golisano was also a leftist/socialist and the Conservative Party LOL! that's not a real political party it's a scam they back whomever will give their members the most political patronage jobs. So we are talking about 5th and 6th party candidates. A conservative in France or any other socialist European country has better people to vote for than we do in New York.