Weld wants to run for New York gov
Source: Weld wants to run for New York gov
MARC HUMBERT
AP Political Writer
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld wants to run for governor of his native New York next year and expects to make a final decision about that this fall, a Republican familiar with his thinking said Monday.
The Republican spoke only on condition of anonymity because of Weld's concern that any definitive public statement at this point could make it more difficult for the former governor to wrap up his business dealings.
The source told The Associated Press that Weld expected he would have his business obligations as a private equity investment adviser settled sometime in September or October and would then be willing to discuss the GOP nomination for governor of New York. The source said Weld currently sees no political obstacle to running.
Meanwhile, the chairman of New York's politically important Conservative Party, Michael Long, said Monday that Weld telephoned him last week to discuss such a possible candidacy.
''He said he was giving consideration to the governor's race,'' Long told the AP.
''I got a sense he wasn't just exploring it; he was taking a very serious look at it,'' the Conservative Party chairman added.
Long said he agreed to meet with Weld sometime in the next few weeks to discuss the former Massachusetts governor's possible New York candidacy.
Long said Weld had indicated he had also discussed his interest in the race with New York's state GOP chairman, Stephen Minarik.
''Steve and he have talked, but we don't discuss private conversations,'' said Ryan Moses, executive director of the New York GOP.
Asked about those conversations, Weld said in a brief conversation with the AP: ''It's a pleasure to talk with New York political leaders and learn about the process.''
Sam Houston is the only two-state governor in history, having served in Tennessee from 1827 to 1829 and Texas from 1859 to 1861.
Weld had told the AP in April that he would seriously consider seeking the GOP nomination for governor of New York if Republican Gov. George Pataki did not seek a fourth term. Pataki announced July 27 that he would not seek re-election next year.
Weld, a millionaire lawyer, was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1990 and easily re-elected in 1994. He ran for U.S. Senate in 1996 but was defeated by Democratic incumbent John Kerry. Weld resigned as governor in 1997 when then-President Clinton nominated him to become U.S. ambassador to Mexico, but the nomination was blocked in the Senate.
Weld, a partner in the New York investment firm Leeds Weld & Co., moved back to New York state in 2000, thus making himself eligible for the 2006 governor's race. New York has a five-year residency requirement for gubernatorial candidates.
Several others are already eyeing the GOP nomination for governor, including New York's appointed Secretary of State Randy Daniels, a former CBS-TV newsman; former state Assembly Minority Leader John Faso; and state Sen. Raymond Meier of the Utica area.
On the Democratic side, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has already announced he is running for governor.
''I'm not going to pass judgment on other candidates,'' said Spitzer, during a stop Monday in Buffalo, when asked about a Weld candidacy. ''I'll observe the campaign as everyone else.''
In April, Weld had told the AP that Spitzer ''would be very strong.''
''I think I could beat him. I think he could beat me,'' Weld added. ''It'd be pay-to-get-in. Neither of us is a shrinking violet.''
One of Weld's big problems in a New York race could be the Conservative Party, given his support for abortion rights and gay marriage. No Republican has won statewide office in New York without Conservative Party support since 1974.
In his conversation with Long, the chairman said Weld appeared to be laying the groundwork for at least a continuing dialogue, stressing his opposition to strict gun-control laws and his fiscal conservatism.
''He said to me how he was pro-Second Amendment. He claimed to be a conservative on taxes and spending,'' Long recounted. ''He told me he was rather liberal on social issues. I indicated to him that could be a problem, but I agreed I would sit down with him.''
''Who knows how serious he is, but he sounded serious to me,'' the Conservative Party chairman added.
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