It looks like former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will be running after all, but it turns out it won’t be for governor, sources say. Giuliani apparently took a look at the governor’s race and decided he’d have to have his head examined to get involved in that circus. Instead, he’s set his sights on running for the United States Senate, sources said.For Giuliani, the decision to forego the governor’s race and run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010 was a no-brainer.
Sources told CBS 2 that Giuliani is more interested in national issues. He’s spoken out recently against trying terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed here and he eyes the Gillibrand race to fill out the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton’s as a great opportunity.
After a taste of the Senate, he could decide either to run again or try his luck running in the presidential election again.
Friends of the former mayor said they think he’d be a major player in the Senate from day one because of his performance on 9/11, his familiarity with key issues, and his ability to speak intelligently on Republican positions. They feel he would be an important voice against national health care reform, for example.
Some state Republicans tell CBS 2 they would have rather seen Giuliani run for governor, but they understand why he might want to go in a different direction.
Giuliani’s decision to bow out of the governor’s race is good news for Democrats. Both Gov. David Paterson and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo are considering running for the office and polls showed that Giuliani was the strongest candidate in the race.
Former Long Island Rep. Rick Lazio is currently the only other Republican considering a run for governor.
{CBS 2 NY/Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}
