Pataki to have a rough two months

NY governor Pataki isn't exactly endangered. All recent polls show him with a comfortable lead in NY's governor's race. Yet, for the first time, he will face a vicious challenge to his right. Pataki lost his bid for the Independence Party nod, and will have to contend with Tom Golisano -- an obscenely wealthy conservative with an axe to grind.

Some reports have indicated Golisano plans to spend up to $100 million in his campaign against Pataki. While Golisano's chances of winning are next to nil, this relentless barrage of ads against Pataki can only serve to drive up his negatives, making him an easier target for Dem challenger Carl McCall:

Even if Mr. Golisano does not see himself as a spoiler, Mr. McCall does. His aides say privately that they expect Mr. Golisano's advertisements to take pressure off Mr. McCall to broadcast negative commercials about Mr. Pataki — a two-way advantage to Mr. McCall, who two weeks ago had just $2.5 million left to spend on his own ads.

Update:Matthew Yglesias makes this excellent point:

... isn't it at least possible that massive attacks on Pataki from the right will help him with the moderate democrats his campaign needs to attract to win in liberal-leaning New York by dispelling fears that his centrism is only a ploy?

Yeah, it is possible. I hadn't considered this possibility, but it reinforces my reluctance to consider Pataki "endangered".

Posted September 12, 2002 08:28 AM | Comments (2)