Ex-NY Gov Pataki Close to Announcing GOP Bid

Former New York Gov. George Pataki is moving closer to an announcement that he will join the GOP presidential race, which puzzles some of his former associates and confidants, reports the New York Daily News.

Confidants of the former three-term governor insist that he’s close to announcing his bid, although they say no date is set, according to the Daily News.

As governor, Pataki was pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, and pro-union rights. These policy positions seem to isolate Pataki from the dominant anti-spending, small government, and social conservatism that dominates the Republican Party.

“Pataki the first two years was great, then we went on a spending binge,” said Assemblyman Tomas Kirwan, an upstate Republican who served with Pataki. “The federal debt run up was rivaled only by what we did in New York under George Pataki.”

Pataki’s camp has been hinting for months that he might enter the race as an alternative candidate to the conservative Republican base. His spokesman, David Catalfamo, said the former governor “continues to give it serious consideration.”

“Among a lot of New York Republican the general sense is that it doesn’t make sense,” a GOP insider told the New York Daily News.