Posted on 11/06/2003 1:54:46 AM PST by kattracks
Gov. Pataki and other top state Republicans are quietly urging Rudy Giuliani to run for governor, the Daily News has learned. Pataki is privately leaning against seeking a fourth term, sources told The News, and he has sent the message out that the former mayor is the logical choice to replace him - otherwise, a Democrat could become governor.So far, Giuliani has played the good Republican, appearing in ads last week for several GOP candidates upstate and on Long Island - accumulating chits that would be useful if he decides to run.
"He has been hugely helpful to us," gushed Sandy Treadwell, Pataki's handpicked chairman of the state Republican Party. "He did everything we asked him to do."
Officially, Giuliani is focused on his business, reelecting President Bush and making speeches, which still earn him more than $100,000 a pop. With a $6.9 million divorce settlement to pay, two children headed to college and a new Park Ave. apartment, he could use the money, friends say.
"Politically, he is focused on getting the President and the vice president reelected," said Tony Carbonetti, a long-time Giuliani adviser. "And then he will focus on himself, because he definitely envisions himself one day returning to public service."
Given his post-9/11 stature, many believe Giuliani can afford to wait a year or more before making a decision about the governor's race. In September, Giuliani said he was mulling a return to public life "maybe two or three years from now."
Although Pataki and Giuliani have not held discussions about the race, sources said the governor has sent out feelers.
"There have been some entreaties," said one Giuliani adviser. "But he just doesn't want to discuss it right now."
The governor's concern is partly fueled by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the likely Democratic challenger for governor in 2006. One recent poll pegged Spitzer's approval rating at 62% - the highest of any statewide official. Pataki's approval, by comparison, was 46%.
"If the governor decided not to run [in 2006], I think he believes the mayor would make a formidable candidate and a formidable governor," Kieren Mahoney, Pataki's top political strategist, said yesterday.
Added another Republican with ties to Pataki: "It's Rudy's if he wants it."
Many see the governorship as the logical next step for Giuliani, who some believe could use the office as a launching pad for a 2008 presidential bid.
"If the stars are right," said former Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari, "he could wind up on a national ticket. It could happen."
Originally published on November 6, 2003
hillary's worst nightmare.
Agreed. Governer would be a good choice for him. Other good choices would be Director of Homeland Security or Attorney General (if those positions open up during Bush's second term).
I like Rudy, but I don't want to see a pro-abortion Republican in the White House.
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