Giuliani to Opt Out of Senate and Governor’s Race
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has apparently made up his mind, and will not run for public office in 2010. He was seen by many as the front-runner for the Senate seat held in interim by Kirsten Gillibrand. He was likely the only legitimate candidate available to Republicans should Attorney General Andrew Cuomo enter the race to challenge Incumbent Governor David Patterson, but he has apparently decided that neither race will be in his future. Rudy will reportedly endorse Republican Mark Lazio in the gubernatorial race this evening and plans to stay in the private sector working as a “security consultant” and a political commentator. Even without officially entering the Senate race, he was leading in most major polls by double digit figures.
I am admittedly torn on Ole Rudy. I think he’s an absolute phony as a conservative in that many of his positions have conveniently changed over the years as his ambitions stretched beyond the Big Apple. He personifies everything I dislike in the Republican Party in that sense. There is nothing worse than seeing a viable candidate sell his soul to appeal to the laundry list of issues that a Republican candidate must adhere to in order to have a national platform. That being said, I wouldn’t have voted for Rudy either way, but I wouldn’t have held his previous position on abortion be the lone determinant factor. As I have stated repeatedly, I am pro-life, but I fail to see how conservatism or even the Republican Party for that matter can turn its back on the 1st Amendment and ignore the glaring reality that such a position could be based on a religious view rather than a feminist argument for controlling the domain of her own body, but I digress. That’s a debate for another day.
In regards to the positives of a Giuliani candidacy, there are a few worth mentioning… Okay, there’s one – he could win and he’s not a democrat. There will be many that will see Rudy as a more polished version of Dede Scozzafava in that we wouldn’t vote for him in Kentucky, but we would in New York. I can certainly see the comparisons, but even in all of Giuliani’s questionable conservative credentials, he is light years ahead of the NY-23 candidate in that regard. In fact, I do believe that a candidate like Rudy is the prototype for what it would take for a Republican to get elected in New York at the state-wide level. His slow dance with the Center makes him tolerable to the moderates and his celebrity even gives him an “in” with the libs who vote based on popularity rather than substance. For that reason alone, I am sad to see that Rudy will not be running next November. I wouldn’t have voted for him in a Presidential election, but I have no doubt that I would have cast a vote for Rudy over Gillibrand - who will likely claim reelection in absence. Politics are an ugly beast in a state like New York. They certainly make strange bedfellows. For Republicans to succeed outside on a state level they have to have something else to offer. Unfortunately, if Rudy is out, I fail to see that there is anyone else available with much to offer in that regard; especially considering the “Independent” Mayor Bloomberg appears content serving out his life-long term as Mayor of the nation’s biggest city.
Today’s news also closes the door on a Senate run.
A Quinnipiac poll in mid-December found that Giuliani would beat Gillibrand 50%-40% in a hypothetical general election.
Giuliani is set to endorse former New York Congressman Rick Lazio for governor at an event in Manhattan Tuesday or Wednesday.
Lazio is the only declared candidate running for the New York governor’s seat on the GOP side. On the Democratic side, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has not yet decided whether he will challenge current Governor David Paterson in a Democratic primary.
Giuliani briefly ran for the Senate in 2000 but withdrew after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
NY Daily News is reporting…
But the former mayor has decided to stay in the private sector, where he will continue his work as a security consultant, a sometimes TV commentator and, increasingly, a celebrity draw on the GOP fund-raising circuit.
“Next year should be an interesting cycle for Republicans, and he sees it as an opportunity to engage in targeted races across the country,” said a person familiar with Giuliani’s plans.
The Other McCain shares in my lack of adoration for Rudy
Genius strategy: Bet the whole wad on Florida and finish third. Ron Paul got more delegates, which wasn’t really that hard, seeing as how Rudy’s delegate count was zero.
ALLAHPUNDIT at HotAir put the decision accurately in perspective. Although I certainly wouldn’t and didn’t support his run for the Presidency, NY as a Senator would be a great fit.
Did you really want him in this race? For someone so outspoken on him being a phony it seems odd that you would want him in these races. Id love to hear why it is that you would want him.