Pataki no se presenta

CNN:

Former New York Gov. George Pataki will not run for the Republican presidential nomination, a source close to him told CNN.

Pataki, who had been flirting with a White House bid for months, was scheduled to appear this weekend in the key early voting state of Iowa.

Speculation was that the former three-term governor would announce his candidacy Saturday at the Polk County Republican fundraiser.

But the source said that Pataki, who seriously considered running, has decided instead to forgo a run for the GOP nomination.

Todo apunta a que Pataki anunciará el sábado en Iowa

The Iowa Republican:

Former three-term Governor George Pataki (R – N.Y.) has confirmed that he will not only be speaking at this Saturday’s Polk County Republican Picnic and Road to the White House 2012 Presidential Forum, but that he may have “a major announcement” to make.

If Pataki will announce he will be running for President, it could not have come at a worse time for front runner Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts. With recent Iowa, New Hampshire, and now national polls showing Conservative Texas Governor Rick Perry may be stealing the front-runner label, Romney simply can’t afford to start splitting the party establishment vote with the more moderate Pataki.

The biggest impact in Iowa though (where Romney is not currently campaigning), could be how the Iowa Republican establishment reacts. Governor Terry Branstad and his allies, known to be more idealogically moderate, looked to be signaling recently that they might be inclined to support the Texas Governor, despite Perry’s Tea Party credentials. Will the Brandstad group, who has already tried to lure New Jersey Governor Chris Christie into the race, instead get behind Pataki; the lone, viable moderate who will be running in our state?

De Gobernador de NY a Presidente

Ante la que parece inminente entrada del Gobernador George Pataki en la carrera presidencial, Your News Now repasa la historia de los Gobernadores de Nueva York en elecciones presidenciales. Cuatro llegaron a Presidente cuando el estado era de largo el más poblado de la Unión, pero desde que perdió esa condición en favor de estados como California y Texas los políticos de NY han casi desaparecido de las campañas nacionales.

If recent history is any guide, former Governor Pataki probably won't become the 45th President of the United States. New Yorker's haven't fared well in presidential runs since Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in the White House in the 40s.

As former Governor George Pataki prepares for a possible presidential campaign, he could join an exclusive list of governors who moved from Albany's Eagle Street to D.C.'s Pennsylvania Avenue. There's Roosevelts Teddy and Franklin, Grover Cleveland and Martin Van Buren.

"We have a long history that says anyone who moves into Eagle Street, whether he or she likes it or not, and we're yet to have a she, they are immediately considered to be potentially the next president or vice president of the United States. It's a rich tradition," Assemblyman Jack McEneny said.

But then there's another, longer list of New York governors who made White House runs and failed. Charles Evans Hughes lost to Woodrow Wilson. Al Smith lost to Herbert Hoover. William Seward lost to Abraham Lincoln.

And no, Governor Tom Dewey did not defeat Harry Truman. Nelson Rockefeller ran three times for the Republican nomination to no avail. He was later appointed vice president by Gerald Ford.

Rockefeller is the last New York governor to actually launch a presidential campaign. In fact, the Hall of Governors here in the Capitol could be considered a Hall of Also-Rans. Nearly every governor elected in the last century has at least thought of running for president. Averill Harriman considered it, as did Hugh Carey. Mario Cuomo was famously called Hamlet on the Hudson for wavering on whether to launch a campaign. He ultimately declined. New York hasn't seen a governor nominated by a major party since 1948, coinciding with the state's loss of clout on the national level.

"The population has shifted. We invented air conditioning. We sent it down South. People began to look at Texas and Florida. Now they're up there with the top states and you watched the shift of power and industry follow the air conditioning to the South," McEneny said. (...)

Pataki contacta con recaudadores de Florida

Parece que el Gobernador Pataki va en serio:

The former New York governor has been calling some GOP fundraisers in Florida in recent days about a prospective presidential run. He told at least one he's likely to run.

Continúan los esfuerzos para reclutar al candidato ideal

Wall Street Journal:

(...) "Do I think the field is complete yet? I would have thought so, but I've got to be honest. I think there could be a few more surprises," said New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Jack Kimball.

There are few firm signs either Mr. Christie or Mr. Ryan will take the leap, but aides acknowledge the pressure. In Aspen, Colo., a few days ago, former Reagan administration official William Bennett took Mr. Ryan on a long hike, urging him to consider a presidential bid, according to people knowledgeable about the discussion.

Mr. Ryan's deficit-reduction plan has been roundly criticized by Democrats, but Republican insiders see him as the candidate with the intellectual heft to beat Mr. Obama in debates.

Mr. Christie, too, has been on the receiving end of many recent calls to get into the race. But Christie advisers have put the word out to unaligned donors and party elites in recent days that he has no plans to run.

"The intensity of the recruitment efforts has certainly increased to a new level, but nothing has changed in terms of the governor's plans," said Christie adviser Mike Du Haime.

(...) An unease also persists among big fund-raisers. "A lot of major bundlers are just kind of sitting on the sidelines waiting to see how things play out," said Ray Washburne, a top Pawlenty fund-raiser who has yet to commit to another campaign.

The challenge lies in the fact that the ideal contender, even more than normal, has to check two contradictory boxes: He or she has to appeal to the GOP's energized tea-party and social-conservative wings, while also assuring the party's elites of the ability to reach out to more moderate swing voters who usually decide general elections.

"Most people in the center-right realize that Obama is eminently beatable. Yet they don't feel that they are hearing a compelling message of how the leading Republican candidates are going to dig the country out of the economic quagmire that it's in, and they are searching for that message," said Fred Malek, a GOP fund-raiser who remains unaligned with any candidate.

There are others still in the wings. Former New York Gov. George Pataki has put out feelers in recent days, but his entry as a moderate Republican has gotten little encouragement, senior Republicans said Sunday. Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.) said former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is still pondering a run and should decide within days.

(...) Some GOP operatives say that time may have already run out for anyone beyond Ms. Palin to enter the race. "To develop a national campaign, you have to have been in a serious planning mode for months by now," said Phil Musser, a Pawlenty adviser. (...)

Pataki considera seriamente anunciar candidatura

George Pataki, Gobernador de Nueva York entre 1995 y 2007, podría anunciar candidatura presidencial la próxima semana, según fuentes citadas por el canal de noticias por cable New York One.

Pataki ha hecho varias visitas a Iowa y New Hampshire en los dos últimos años, y el año pasado fue noticia porque fundó Revere America, una organización 501 que tomó la iniciativa en la campaña contra la reforma sanitaria de Obama. No tiene demasiado ascendiente sobre las bases del partido pero puede tener potencial en New Hampshire.

Es como si la creciente vulnerabilidad de Obama estuviese provocando una segunda oleada de candidatos.

Sources tell NY1 former Governor George Pataki is strongly considering entering the crowded race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Sources say Pataki, who left office in 2007, could make an announcement as early as next week. (...)

George Pataki medita si presentarse

Según el New York Post:

(...) Former Gov. George Pataki held a secretive lunch with supporters yesterday, fueling speculation that he might make a 2012 run for president. Pataki and five friends met in a private room at restaurant Solo in Midtown. His rep said, "It was not a fund-raiser. He got together with some friends and supporters . . . They did talk about politics, they talked about the future." As for a presidential run? "He's going to look at the field and look at what he's got going on, and make a decision based on those facts. He certainly hasn't ruled it out." But a source said, "His name is really low on the chatter list." (...)

Nadie quiere ser el primero

The New York Times repasa esta mañana el estado de la carrera por la nominación presidencial republicana.

Los nombres más conocidos (Palin, Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich) prefieren entrar tarde en la competición porque no necesitan de una gran inversión para darse a conocer, y los Gobernadores en funciones (Daniels y Barbour) tienen que esperar a que cierre la sesión legislativa en sus estados, en primavera en el mejor de los casos. Esto deja a otros poco conocidos y con pocos compromisos (sobre todo Pawlenty que deja de ser Gobernador en enero y lo tiene claro, y en menor medida Thune que es Senador y parece menos decidido) ante la oportunidad de aprovechar mejor los primeros meses de 2011.

Lots of Republican Toes in the 2012 Waters, but No Rush to Dive In

(...) Tim Pawlenty, the departing governor of Minnesota, is gearing up for a book tour in January and highlighting his opposition to the new federal health care law.

Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi is trying to persuade donors to remain neutral until he decides whether to make a bid for the White House.

And Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, is quietly courting top-shelf contributors and trying to keep his old team together.

But for all the maneuvering, not one of the possible 2012 Republican presidential contenders is planning to make a formal announcement before early next year or even later. Seeking to avoid the scrutiny and expenses that come with opening a full-fledged campaign, the potential candidates, including Sarah Palin and former Gov. George E. Pataki of New York, are instead quietly testing campaign messages, wooing local activists and trying to assess the shifting political climate.

(...) Senator John Thune of South Dakota is making inquiries to top Republican operatives and has amassed a $7.2 million Senate campaign account that he could use in a presidential run. Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, introduced himself to a new generation of Republicans by holding candidate training sessions in early-voting states. And former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas is returning to Iowa, where he won the caucuses in 2008, to headline a major gathering of conservative Christians.

(...) The roster of potential Republican contenders also includes Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, and Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania. All have made at least some movements — from baby steps to significant efforts — toward a presidential bid.

At this time four years ago, the Republican candidates to succeed President George W. Bush were already well along in filling out their campaign staffs. Senator John McCain announced his team and opened an exploratory committee in early December, a benchmark that seems unlikely for any candidate this year.

Strategists with several potential candidates said that all of the campaigns wanted to avoid becoming ensnared in the bidding war for top talent that took place in 2006 and ultimately drove up salaries and expenditures long before the real contours of the nominating contest were known. The political terrain is made more uncertain by the new Republican majority in the House and a field of contenders that could have several late entrants like Ms. Palin, whose fund-raising capacity is potentially strong enough that she could wait until relatively late in the process to decide whether to run.

(...) Mr. Romney is seen by Republicans as being closest to running, even though his advisers said he had not completely decided. Mr. Pawlenty is also seen as almost certainly running, particularly because he has surrounded himself with some of the earliest operatives from Mr. Bush’s 2000 campaign.

Mr. Huckabee and Ms. Palin, both of whom appeal to social conservatives, must weigh whether to risk their contracts at the Fox News Channel and other ventures to run for president. Mr. Gingrich also must decide whether it is worth setting aside his lucrative speaking career.

Advisers to Mr. Barbour and Mr. Daniels said they were unlikely to decide until the end of their legislative sessions next spring. Associates of Mr. Daniels said he had been hashing out the family toll that a presidential run takes. His wife, Cheri Daniels, has not always embraced the traditional first lady role in Indiana and is said to have reservations. (...)