Despite G.O.P. Plea, Pirro Says She's in Senate Race

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

By MICHAEL COOPER
and PATRICK D. HEALY
Published: December 12, 2005

ALBANY, Dec. 12 - After weeks of public squabbling, leaders of the New York Republican Party met in a smoke-free back room here today and reversed course, urging Jeanine F. Pirro to run for state attorney general next year instead of the United States Senate, the office they recruited her for six months ago.

Mrs. Pirro, the district attorney of Westchester County, immediately replied that she would continue her challenge against Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and chose to interpret the party's plea as a sign of "confidence" in her abilities.

The state and county Republican officials, meeting privately in Albany, also voted to recommend William F. Weld as their choice to run for governor in 2006. But it was far from a clear victory for Mr. Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts. More county chairmen abstained or stayed away than voted for Mr. Weld, with the leaders of Republican strongholds like Nassau and Suffolk Counties conspicuously absent. Mr. Weld's victory came from a weighted vote that calculates Republican strength by county; he and another candidate, John Faso, each received the votes of 23 county leaders.

The vote for Mr. Weld was something of a surprise, because some prominent Republicans had wanted the party to wait a month for Thomas Golisano, a Rochester billionaire and past candidate for governor, to decide whether he would enter the race.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/12/nyregion/12cnd-repubs.html?hp&ex=1134450000&en=5c49e83bc7c3c6f9&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[acmavm]

1. This woman's daffy. n/t

[SaveElmer]

2. It doesn't matter who they put up there...

Hillary has done a good job and her constituents like her...she will win easily!!!

[WI_DEM]

3. Weld will get clobbered by Spitzer

It's a joke to New York baseball fans to have the former Governor of Massachusetts as the candidate for Governor of NY!!

[Ignacio Upton]

6. Bloomberg is originally from Boston and

that didn't stop him from winning. Seriously though, do not underestimate Weld. I want Golisano is be the guy, because he will divide the Republican Party, and force Pataki to sit on his hands. With Weld, he is not too bad in the way people in his party, and this is the reason why he has some sort of chance. Combine this with a Wall St. swiftboating of Spitzer (a executive from Home Depot is trying to get Suozzi to do a primary challenge against Spitzer, and has signaled tha he will launch a movement to stop him from winning with help from his corporate butt-buddies) and they could elevate Weld's chances.

[WI_DEM]

8. Yes Weld is much more moderate but I still don't see it in the cards

He lost his last race for Senate in MA and now he pines to be Gov of NY? He is also running well behind Spitzer in the polls.

[Ignacio Upton]

13. Like I said, wait for the swiftboating

After a bunch of commercials are run by Wall Street interests accusing Spitzer of being a radical socialist, voters in moderate-conservative Upstate and moderate-left NYC suburbs will look for an alternative. While Westchester and Long Island vote blue (yes, LI is now blue), there are enough people there who could end up voting for Weld if they are duped.

[Faygo Kid]

4. Pirro and Katherine Harris in '08.

A ticket that would tickle the turnout.

[snowbear]

5. What if Guilliani jumps in?

If Republicans would seriously never nominate a pro-choice candidate for president (i.e. Rudy), and he knows that...

What's stopping him from running for the seat he was going to run for originally?

Is there any polling info on the U.S. Senate seat for Hillary vs. Rudy? :shrug:

[MrBenchley]

14. Rudy's got his own baggage....

Bernie Kerik, "Giuliani time!", the messy collapse of his marriage, etc. etc. etc.

[hyphenate]

7. She will become NY's Alan Keyes

which should suit us all very well.

As far as Weld is concerned, it's amazing that Massachusetts continues to be a bastion for liberalism with all the pubs who have been governor. I commend my home state for that, but I still don't understand how it's possible. Weld was guv while I was in California, though, so I don't know his record very well. But he has to be better than Romney.

[snowbear]

10. NY's Alan Keyes?

Ok, I'm confused..

So you think if Guilliani runs, Hillary is toast?

[hyphenate]

12. Pirro will stick out like a sore thumb

as a radical republican, just the way Keyes stuck out against Obama in Illinois. Keyes was obviously a nutcase--Pirro will also come across as a wingnut. It will make re-electing Hillary a lot easier, I think.

[Al-CIAda]

9. .delete

[msanthrope]

11. Run, Jeanne, run....this will be fun to watch...n/t

[MrBenchley]

15. Agreed....