New York – Former Governor Pataki Endorses Paladino at Last Minute

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    New York – Embracing a man who once called him a “degenerate idiot,” former Gov. George E. Pataki on Monday endorsed Carl P. Paladino, the Republican nominee to be New York’s governor.

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    The vote of confidence by Mr. Pataki, the last Republican to occupy the governor’s mansion, came at the 11th hour but was perhaps the most prominent endorsement of Mr. Paladino’s campaign.

    “While I don’t agree with my party’s nominee for governor on any number of issues, we do agree on three essential Republican-Conservative core beliefs: the need to cut taxes, reduce spending and shrink the size of government,” Mr. Pataki said in a statement.

    The two men have had a prickly relationship. Mr. Pataki was an early victim of Mr. Paladino’s anti-establishment fervor. In September, Mr. Paladino called Mr. Pataki an idiot in an interview with The Daily News. He later explained that he meant only to convey his frustration with the state of the Republican Party after Mr. Pataki left office in 2006.

    Despite Mr. Paladino’s words, Mr. Pataki said in September that he would still consider an endorsement if Mr. Paladino was able to turn “anger into policies.”

    While Mr. Paladino has said he does not seek out endorsements, he had made a deliberate effort to smooth things over with Mr. Pataki.

    “I stand strong with Governor Pataki to lead this revolution to take back our state,” Mr. Paladino said in a statement on Monday. “The man who slayed the first Cuomo says I am the man to beat Mario Jr.”

    The two men met in September at Mr. Pataki’s offices in Manhattan and chatted for an hour. They met again on Sunday at a Republican Party breakfast in Westchester County.

    While Mr. Paladino and Mr. Pataki are not close, they are said to have a cordial relationship.

    Mr. Pataki, asked at the breakfast on Sunday if he would endorse Mr. Paladino, was silent, responding only that he was there to support Harry Wilson, the Republican candidate for state comptroller. In his speech, he did not mention Mr. Paladino by name.

    Mr. Paladino said Sunday that he was not disappointed that Mr. Pataki had not supported him publicly. He praised the former governor’s leadership.

    “The governor is one of my heroes, O.K.?” Mr. Paladino said. “He created the setting, O.K., for us to come in and finally put this progressive movement to bed.”


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    14 Comments
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    DRE53
    DRE53
    13 years ago

    won’t make a big dirrerence anymore, mr. pataki. had you come out a bit earlier it would have helped, but now almost all of us have made their minds up and mr paladino will have to wait 4 more years.
    the republicans have failed to nominate a candidate that has a chance of winning this election. i hope they do better in 4 years

    13 years ago

    And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the problem with the Republican party. Call each other idiots, stab each other in the back, disagree on practically everything in the world but never ever vote for someone on the other ticket, no matter what. How can you trust someone who cares more for their party than the people they’re supposed to represent?
    When Guiliani crossed over and endorsed Mario Cuomo instead of Pataki we knew he was thinking about the state more than his party (and Guiliani got he** from the Republicans back then!). The same when Koch crossed over and endorsed Guiliani and Pataki (a couple of years later). But what’s going on now is plain stupidity and shows how little Pataki cares about NY. He can’t stand Paladino and you can see on his face how little he wanted to endorse him but he did it anyway because his party wanted him to. Mr. Pataki, you should have kept your mouth closed because your endorsement means less than nothing. Next time keep it to yourself and the rest of us won’t be so disgusted with your nambi-pambiness.

    13 years ago

    i still think that paladino can make it… never give up.. its gonna be a sad day for NY if we vote in a Buffy (duffy) coumo
    Go Paladino Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    13 years ago

    Some people have voted already!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Pataki, always the true patriot, shows what a principled politician is all about. Wait for the 11th hour and then endorse someone who you know is certifiably committable.

    Paladino4Governor
    Paladino4Governor
    13 years ago

    i think it was the right time, because most of the people will decide tomorrow when they ar ein the booth if they want to pay more taxes or less texas, if they want vouchers or not, or if they want a corrupted person in office, so it was teh right timing & we all support Paladino, he is in BIG TIME

    clear-thinker
    clear-thinker
    13 years ago

    What a great country we live in. You can make the wrong choice and the right candidate can still be elected. Mr. Paladino is probably the worst candidate the Republican party could nominate. Cuomo may have been beatable, but not by Paladino. Personally I believe that Pataki should have sat the election out, but I guess he has political ambitions that did not allow this.

    yeedle
    yeedle
    13 years ago

    I wish the republican party was smart and endorsed someone like bernard levi who would have maybe won on coumo
    Sadly the republican party in new york is brain dead

    Luckshin
    Luckshin
    13 years ago

    GO PALADINO!!! GO PALADINO!!! We need you in Albany! Common everybody do the right thing! PALADINO for the PEOPLE

    WiseDude
    WiseDude
    13 years ago

    The Republican party on all levels kills its best candidates. They have had some younger rising stars over the years, from Rockland, from Staten Island, and what did they do? They killed them off. Idiots. That’s why the Dems control NY.

    13 years ago

    probably paid him off