Political Circles Anxiously Await Giuliani's Next Step
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Word that former Mayor Rudy Giuliani will not run for governor had political circles buzzing Friday about what that would mean for Democrats. NY1's Grace Rauh filed the following report.If the talk is true, and former Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani decides to challenge Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand next year, there are varying theories about what exactly that would mean for the rest of the political field.
Keith Wright, the chairman of the Democratic party in Manhattan, said Friday that having Giuliani take on any Democrat is good for the party. He predicted the former mayor would unify Democrats against him.
"Simply because if Rudy Giuliani is your opponent, you have the chance to bring out some of the most rabid Democrats that this city and state has ever, ever seen go into action," said Wright.
Others disagreed and argued that Giuliani's apparent interest in running for office again would have the opposite effect.
"Democrats are not turning out voters," said political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. "People are not happy about Albany and something's got to give. And they are not happy about Democrats nationally. Barack Obama's numbers are not doing well today. That could change, but at the present moment, Rudolph Giuliani could re-energize a Republican party that Democrats thought was dead. And that's the danger Democrats face."
Having the former mayor out of the governor's race is good for Governor David Paterson, some say, as Giuliani represented perhaps the strongest threat to the Democrat's hold on the governor's seat so far.
Yet may be an even bigger boost for the popular State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to jump into the race next year, and looks poised to trounce Paterson in a Democratic primary.
At least one New Yorker active in politics had little to say Friday about the former mayor's plans.
"You know, I hate to shock and amaze you, but I really don't think a lot about Mayor Giuliani anymore," said the Reverend Al Sharpton.
If that is the case, Sharpton was one of the few in political circles who didn't have Giuliani on the mind.