Free Republic

ALBANY, July 26 - Gov. George E. Pataki told a group of supporters and aides Tuesday night that he would not seek a fourth term as governor after abruptly summoning them to the governor's mansion, according to two people who attended the meeting. Mr. Pataki's announcement came as polls showed him trailing Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the Democrat who hopes to succeed him as governor. But it sets the stage for Mr. Pataki to explore a possible run for president in 2008. Mr. Pataki's decision marks the beginning of the end of his three-term reign, which began when he toppled...

The general assumption among New York Democrats is that Attorney General Eliot Spitzer will be the party's candidate for governor next year. He announced his bid in December and has been busy raising millions and building alliances to reclaim the office for the Democrats for the first time in 12 years. But, to the delight of Republicans and annoyance of Spitzer allies, another Democrat has recently confided to prominent party members that he is preparing to run, arguing that his profile as a suburban Italian Catholic moderate and reform-minded Albany outsider would make him a strong candidate in both New...

ALBANY, April 6 - With Gov. George E. Pataki and his closely guarded political aspirations headed off to Rome for the papal funeral, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer dropped a political bomb in Albany today, calling the budget document that state lawmakers passed last week full of holes that failed to solve the state's long-term problems in education, health care or economic development. "Maybe we have a budget, maybe it's on time, and the ambiguity arises from the fact that I think this budget deferred many, if not most, of the difficult issues that are confronting state government," Mr. Spitzer said....

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Omaha ELIOT SPITZER, the New York attorney general, has made a career out of spanking arrogant fat cats on the front page. We cheered when he busted those shifty stockbrokers for selling us shares of Enron and WorldCom, and we hailed him for exposing those money managers who sold our mutual fund shares on the cheap after 4 p.m. Eastern to influential big boys at our expense. Then last year Mr. Spitzer went after insurance companies, and everybody applauded again. Of course! Talk about a target-rich environment! For weeks, we opened our newspapers eager to read about insurance...

Eliot Spitzer, the New York state attorney general, yesterday accused the world's largest insurance broker of cheating customers by rigging prices and steering business to insurers in exchange for millions of dollars in kickbacks The lawsuit brought by Mr. Spitzer against the broker, Marsh Inc., a unit of the Marsh & McLennan Companies, contends that Marsh conducted sham bidding to mislead customers into thinking that they were getting the best price for the coverage they needed. The lawsuit cites several examples of customers - including Fortune Brands, which sells Titleist golf balls and Jim Beam spirits, and the school district...