Paladino, Lazio, Redlich & Davis

From Eric Dondero:

As if the race for New York Governor couldn't get any crazier. Now word comes that a 4th candidate on the Right is read to jump in, and on yet another third-party ticket. And he, like the others, claims some allegiance to the GOP.

Meet Carl Paladino, a multi-millionaire businessman from Buffalo. He's a veteran of the Tea Party movement.

From the Daily Caller, March 2:

From the nascent Tea Party movement comes a potential champion. New York Tea Party leaders are urging Buffalo millionaire businessman Carl Paladino to enter the Republican gubernatorial primary and also petition a Tea Party Party onto the ballot. New York has a unique system where candidates can accept multiple party endorsements and win the cumulative number of votes cast for them on Election Day regardless of which party ballot position they won the votes.

Paladino, who is both a developer and lawyer, has a reputation for outspokenness and candor in the Buffalo business community... Paladino is like the character in the movie “Network,” who shouts “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Brash, articulate and opinionated, Paladino is the kind of outsider who could bring the Republican Party back in the Empire State.

What's even crazier, it appears former Republican Senator Al D'Amato, a current favorite of libertarians for his Pro-Legalization of Poker lobbying efforts, is maneuvering the State GOP into accepting Rick Lazio as its standard-bearer in order to secure his pal - Democrat - Andrew Cuomo the Governor's mansion.

Continuing from the Daily Caller:

Former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, nominally a Republican, and his sidekick, Kieran Mahoney, are squarely in the Cuomo camp and among Cuomo’s largest fundraisers. D’Amato has labored furiously to lock up the Republican gubernatorial nomination for weak candidate Rick Lazio in order to hand Andrew a weak challenge.

This is confirmed by the NY Daily News:

Interestingly, D'Amato is raising money for Gillibrand's old HUD boss, AG Andrew Cuomo. So, he clearly still thinks some Democrats are OK - especially those who might be poised to run the state in the not-too-distant future.

Recall D'Amato was at the press conference when Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand was tapped to be the US Senator from New York. Additionally, D'Amato is much credited with having been the master-mind behind the brief Howard Stern candidacy on the Libertarian Party ticket in 1994, and getting him to back out so as not to hinder the chances of then State Senator George Pataki. Of course, Pataki ended up winning that race in an upset.

Perhaps D'Amato's lobbying for various causes is overtaking his allegiance to the Republican Party?

Republican Party, Tea Party, Libertarian Party, and Conservative Party

So, on what's generally viewed as the Right in New York, libertarians and conservatives, we could possibly end up with the following:

Rick Lazio - former Congressman from Long Island, a milktoast conservative who lost a race that was generally regarded as an easy win for the GOP, to Hillary Clinton in 2000 for US Senate. Additionally, Lazio may be seeking the Conservative Party line.

Kristin Davis - (full disclosure; a heavy favorite of this website), running simultaneously on the Libertarian Party ticket and her own Personal Freedom Party line. Though, she is less certain of gaining the Libertarian endorsement.

Warren Redlich - At the same time upstate Attorney and Gunderland Town Councilman Warrend Redlich is seeking the Libertarian Party nomination, and going against Lazio for the GOP nod, as well. Redlich, who comes from the Ron Paul wing of the Libertarian Republican movement, could end up with both nominations, or depending how well Davis and Lazio do, could end up with neither.

Carl Paladino - And finally the new entrant Mr. Paladino from Buffalo, who plans to fund a petition drive to qualify the "Tea Party," on the New York State ballot. And let's not forget, Paladino is also seeking both the Conservative and Republican Party lines.

In such an environment, and given the mood of the country right now, anything could happen. If anyone believes Andrew Cuomo, who has some skeletons in his closet of his (to be revealed at a future date, quite possibly right here at LR), is a shoe-in for this race, they are sadly mistaken.