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Wait, Paladino Will Be <em>Happy</em> To Spoil Election
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 2, 2010
Modified Aug 2, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 2, 2010
Modified Aug 2, 2010
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Last week, Carl Paladino said that if he didn't win the Republican gubernatorial primary, he wouldn't run in the general election, "If we don't win the Republican primary, we're going to be gone at that point, because we're not going to be a spoiler to someone running against Andrew Cuomo and taking him down." But, hey, you don't get to be a millionaire developer who loves forwarding bestiality videos without changing your mind, because now he says he'd love to spoil things!
Rick Lazio leads Paladino in the polls, but Paladino has been gaining (they would both be beat by Cuomo in the general election). Capital Confidential has his revised stance:
“I am so confident of victory in the New York Republican Primary that I spoke hastily this week on “Inside City Hall” and said I would be gone if i did not win the Republican Primary. Many in the Tea Party movement and more of my supporters expressed extreme displeasure immediately. They want me to carry the fight for reform into the Fall with the Taxpayers Line. I owe it to them and our State to examine the circumstances after the GOP primary, when I believe this issue will be moot.
The fight for reform is bigger than any party. It is tragic that the New York State Conservative Party violated their birthright by designating a liberal Republican, so the formation of the Taxpayers line is required. Therefore I will preserve all my options until after the Primary.”
The Times Union looks at Paladino's appeal, noting his straight-talking (his desire to clean up Albany with a baseball bat, calling Governor Paterson a "drug addict"), and gets this quote from Assmeblyman Jack Quinn (R-Buffalo) who shares campaign office space with Paladino, "Carl, obviously, is not one to be politically correct all the time. While everyone may not agree with how he feels on all the issues, I think people agree with his candor. He's never going to give you a political statement. And his message -- which is one of frustration from middle-class families in western New York and the state as a whole -- I think is playing very well among voters."
Tagged
andrew cuomo
carl paladino
election 2010
rick lazio
spoiler
tea party
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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