Coverage of 2006 governor's race

ELECTION 2006

What'll he do next?

Eliot Spitzer was at another of a thousand campaign stops, this time a gay pride dinner, sitting over the banquet steak he was not going to eat. Then he rose to mingle and chat, in rare candor, about where he is in his life.

ELECTION 2006

Faso, Spitzer slug it out

With less than a month until voters elect a new governor, Republican John Faso aggressively pursued front-runner Eliot Spitzer in their second televised debate last night, hammering at his Democratic opponent's spending proposals, his political allies, and his record as state attorney general.

ANALYSIS

Faso sounds his key points

It was his last best chance, and he came out swinging.

ANALYSIS

Despite lead in polls, Spitzer takes offensive

Eliot Spitzer should have played it safe in last night's debate for governor to protect his tremendous advantage, went the conventional wisdom, while John Faso needed to pursue the popular attorney general and damage him.

Governor debate, round 1

Facing low poll numbers and predictions from his own allies about a loss, John Faso, the Republican nominee for governor, sought yesterday to use his first one-on-one debate with front-runner Eliot Spitzer to convince voters that Spitzer's agenda would lead to higher taxes.

Spitzer, Faso set debate

Gubernatorial front-runner Eliot Spitzer is expected to face John Faso, his Republican opponent, in their first televised debate Tuesday night at Cornell University's campus in upstate Ithaca.

Spitzer's board seat in the clear

The New York State Ethics Commission yesterday ruled that Attorney General Eliot Spitzer can remain on the board of a family charitable trust overseen by his agency, provided he follows strict rules to avoid a conflict of interest.

Suozzi loses debate, poll says

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi declared victory two weeks ago after his gubernatorial debate with Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, but a new poll from Siena Research Institute yesterday found that most of those who saw it thought Spitzer won hands-down.

AD PUTS SUOZZI IN A 'PERFECT' PICKLE

Campaign agrees to stop using quote after New York Magazine complains about edited version

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi's campaign for governor agreed yesterday to stop using a New York Magazine quote in its first major mailing, after the publication complained the excerpt was taken out of context.

Suozzi vs. Spitzer, but debate what to call it

Thomas Suozzi and Eliot Spitzer will appear on the same televised program later this month.

Jacobs jumps to Spitzer side

Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs, leader of the Nassau legislature, revoked her endorsement of County Executive Thomas Suozzi for governor yesterday and threw her support to Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

One-two punch against Suozzi

Support for Thomas Suozzi's campaign for governor continued to erode yesterday as a prominent backer urged him to exit the race and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer returned to Nassau to collect his fourth endorsement by a Democratic county legislator.

Helping hand from dad

When Attorney General Eliot Spitzer accepted the Democratic Party's endorsement for governor last month, he credited the influence of a father who taught him that in America, anything is possible.

Pair of potshots at a long shot

Thomas Suozzi had just denounced rival Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's handling of a teachers union probe when a former Republican committeeman from Point Lookout showed up yesterday at the Manhattan news conference and stole the show.

Governor rivals tell tax plans

The two leading candidates for governor outlined their remedies for New York's soaring property tax rates yesterday, offering vastly different visions on what is shaping up to be the dominant issue this election season.

Faso steadfast on opposition to abortions

When Republican gubernatorial nominee John Faso was a freshman legislator, he rose on the Assembly floor to give an impassioned speech opposing the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions. A skilled debater, Faso delivered the equivalent of a sermon.

Suozzi questions Spitzer's ties to lobbyist

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi suggested yesterday that Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, his Democratic opponent for governor, has not taken action against an upstate casino that is operating illegally because of his political ties to a prominent Albany lobbyist.

Petition push is on for primary race

Candidates for state office who did not get on the ballot via their state party conventions last week went in search of nominating signatures from voters yesterday.

Weld urged to exit GOP race

Pressure mounted yesterday on William Weld to drop his bid to become governor as several high-ranking Republican officials told him the party should stand behind party designee John Faso.

Faso gets nod - and primary fight

John Faso, the former state assemblyman from Kinderhook who has amassed upstate and suburban backing in his campaign for governor with aggressive vows to cut taxes, won a majority of Republican support at its convention yesterday, but will still face William Weld in a primary that party leaders had lobbied to avoid.

Spitzer makes case during tour

The general election may be five months away, but Democratic candidate for governor Eliot Spitzer rolled through this and other upstate towns yesterday on what can nearly be described as a victory tour.

THE STATE CONVENTIONS

GOP unity put to the test in governor's race

State Republicans appeared headed for two primary battles as their convention got under way yesterday, despite the efforts of party leaders who urged their members to stay positive in the face of demoralizing polls and to avoid infighting that could further hurt their chances.

THE STATE CONVENTIONS

It's mostly work for Republican delegates

True leisure seems to be off the agenda this week among Republicans convening at Hofstra University for their state convention. Even the partying, some delegates say, is an extension of politics by other means.

THE STATE CONVENTIONS

Pataki says 'uphill fight' can be won

Gov. George Pataki, trying to rev up a subdued Republican convention crowd, said the GOP can still win a "great victory" in November if they remind voters of the "failed Democratic policies" on taxes, welfare and crime that first brought him to power 12 years ago.

Spitzer gets Democratic nod for governor

Riding an unprecedented surge of confidence within their ranks, Democrats yesterday chose state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as their candidate for governor, tapping the nationally known prosecutor to help them retake control of the state after a dozen years in the GOP's shadow.

THE STATE CONVENTIONS

State GOP convenes on LI

Hundreds of Republican officials from around the state are gathering today on Long Island as former Massachusetts governor William Weld and former Republican assemblyman John Faso battle for the GOP gubernatorial designation.

What's next for Suozzi?

Conventional wisdom, of course, calls it Eliot Spitzer's race to lose for governor, making Thomas Suozzi the highest profile of this year's long shots. And, as state-convention week begins, the Nassau County executive is also the only one to declare so far that, if he fails to overcome his daunting odds, "For me, this is it ... If I lose, I'll finish my term as county executive, and that's it for politics."

Despite odds, Suozzi rallies on

In a city where Eliot Spitzer's face is plastered on billboards and buses, a handwritten sign fastened to a tree showed the way to the other Democrat who would be governor.

Spitzer unleashes criticism of Pataki

As he rolled into this upstate city for the state Democratic convention, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer issued his harshest criticism yet of Gov. George Pataki, calling the agency leading the rebuilding of Ground Zero "an abject failure."

Suffolk GOP set to back Faso

John Faso will get his biggest boost yet today as Republicans from Suffolk, the state's largest GOP county, officially endorse the gubernatorial candidate, bringing him close to the majority needed to be the party designee, party sources said.

Suozzi's battle tactics at Fort Ticonderoga

The only props missing were a bayonet and bad teeth.

Suozzi wants Silver, Bruno out

Thomas Suozzi grabbed attention for his struggling gubernatorial campaign yesterday when he called for the ouster of Albany's two top legislators, saying Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should "be replaced, because they have failed to fight for the reforms that we seek."

Suozzi takes hit from home

With Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi's campaign for governor struggling for momentum, a county legislator from his own party Tuesday urged him to drop out of the race, throwing her support to Eliot Spitzer, the Democratic front-runner.

For Suozzi, LIE pricing comment takes its toll

On a grassy strip near the Long Island Expressway, Thomas Suozzi tried yesterday to escape the political jam he created three weeks ago by suggesting that drivers pay to use the highway during rush hour.

As governor, can he cut local taxes?

At every campaign stop in his run for governor, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi tells audiences how he would cut the state's high property taxes.

Suozzi: Well-off families can pay nursing tabs

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi yesterday called for overhauling a state law that permits senior citizens to place ailing spouses in nursing homes at taxpayer expense while preserving their inheritances.

SPIN CYCLE

Bruno blast Dems over Suozzi, convention

More from the "my enemy's enemy is my friend" department: Thomas Suozzi found an ally of sorts in Albany this morning in Republican Joe Bruno, the Senate majority leader and perhaps the most powerful Republican in the state, thanks to Gov. George Pataki's lame-duck status.

Bipartisan bill booster

Proving again that he is employing an unorthodox strategy as he seeks the Democratic nomination for governor, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi stood beside state Senate Republicans yesterday to lobby for their bill to fight Medicaid fraud.

Faso chooses mate in the Weld mold

Republican gubernatorial contender John Faso yesterday stood beside his new running mate - who once called himself a moderate Republican in the Bill Weld mold - while Weld, Faso's rival, started a storm by criticizing the planned Ground Zero memorial.

Suozzi: Medicaid flaw costly

Citing 47 people who died but were kept on as Medicaid recipients in Nassau, County Executive Thomas Suozzi called on the state yesterday to fix its flawed record-keeping system.

Spitzer stumps on green issue

In the first major speech on environmental policy of the gubernatorial campaign, State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer denounced President George Bush's "systematic assault on the environment" and called for the closing of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

Suozzi addresses Bed-Stuy voters

Campaigning in Brooklyn, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi told an audience comprising mostly black health care professionals yesterday that there is no easy answer to curing the disparity in medical care between racial minorities and whites.

Dual showing by dueling officials

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Eliot Spitzer and Thomas Suozzi, for the first time in their primary contest, were in the same place on Long Island at about the same time.

Weld on D'Amato: There's bad blood

William Weld, the leading Republican candidate for governor, acknowledged yesterday that "bad blood" exists between him and former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, who remains a GOP power broker.

County pol backs Spitzer

Craig Johnson yesterday broke from Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi's Democratic primary bid for governor, and became the first Democrat in the county legislature to endorse state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

Spitzer defends upstate NY remarks

After comparing upstate New York's struggling economy to Appalachia, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sought to defend his remarks yesterday as his political adversaries attacked him for the comment.

Nassau leader alleges Spitzer, PBA connection

Nassau Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs accused police union officials yesterday of partnering with state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and politically connected lawyers to launch a "baseless" attack against County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a Spitzer foe in the race for governor.

Two candidates airing their rivalry

Let the battle of the political campaign ads begin.

Suozzi to meet with Golisano

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi is expected to have one of the most important interviews of his gubernatorial campaign tonight when he meets Rochester billionaire and three-time candidate for governor Thomas Golisano during a hockey game in Buffalo.

Read his lips: No new state tax

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, looking for traction in his primary drive for governor, told a business group yesterday that if elected he would oppose hiking state taxes.

Suozzi's uphill fight

A week after Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi declared his campaign for governor, even Democrats in his home county strongly prefer Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a Newsday/NY1 News poll has found.

Suozzi says he won't quit Democratic Party

Confronting persistent speculation that he might be endorsed by Republicans, Democratic Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi made it clear yesterday that he would not run for governor on the Republican line.

Bruno: GOP might back Suozzi for governor

As Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi appeared on the Sunday morning political talk circuit, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said the Republican Party has toyed with the possibility of cross-endorsing the Democrat for governor in a primary against Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.

CAMPAIGN 2006

Special interests fill coffers

In the race for governor, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and his long-shot challenger, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, have held themselves out as reformers who would confront special interests in the state Capitol.

CAMPAIGN 2006

Few straws for Suozzi

After Attorney General Eliot Spitzer crushed him yesterday in the year's first official poll of Democrats for governor, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi found an upside in defeat.

Spitzer dinner leaves Suozzi in outsider role

Although there were other Democratic candidates for election at the political convention here Friday night - Sen. Hillary Clinton, for instance - it was one man's party, and he had hundreds of fawning guests.

Manning quits governor race

Republican Assemb. Patrick Manning dropped out of the race for governor Friday, saying he wanted to avoid a divisive struggle for the Conservative Party endorsement.

Suozzi's Buffalo pal not so beloved to some

Cozying up to the popular ex-mayor of Buffalo may have endeared Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi to some residents there this week, but it also drew another attack from an abortion rights group yesterday.

Spitzer blasts state economic development

Democratic candidate for governor Eliot Spitzer charged Thursday that economic-development efforts in upstate New York are driven more by politics than need and must be changed.

Buffalo icon says Suozzi fits bill

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi basked in the glow of a local star yesterday as he campaigned for governor with one of this city's political legends, former Mayor James D. Griffin.

Suozzi set to poll his chances against Spitzer upstate

Putting his candidacy for governor to the test among upstate farmers and small-town residents, Nassau Executive Thomas Suozzi will take part in a straw poll this weekend against his gubernatorial rival, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, sponsored by the Democratic Rural Conference.

'Warrior' ready for a fight

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi yesterday declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor, vowing to be "a warrior for the people" against the powerful, in a hometown ceremony that played up his immigrant roots.

Suozzi stirs diversity into his campaign mix

With the aroma of sausage and peppers borne on the gusting wind, and the lilt of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" ringing from the speakers, the immigrant experience was center stage even before Thomas Suozzi was.

With declaration, exec now fair game

Until Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi ended a long dance yesterday and made his gubernatorial run official, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had stood alone for more than a year as the only announced Democrat in the field.

Joye Brown: Tom assures Nassau's not out of sight

Someone called with a suggestion recently for a two-page graphic in the center of Newsday: A state map showing every stop Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi has made campaigning for governor.

Spitzer vows push for school funds

State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said Friday that if he is elected governor, he would direct the state to fully comply with a court order to send billions of dollars more in aid to the city's public schools.

At Suozzi’s event, roots on surface

When Thomas Suozzi officially announces he is running for governor Saturday, he'll be highlighting his immigrant heritage.

Suozzi’s on his own side

The candidate for governor, out greeting voters across the state, wins praise from abortion opponents and draws suspicion from supporters of labor. He talks up the ideas of Republicans, while ridiculing Democratic Party bosses.

Spitzer's approach could backfire

Despite his commanding lead in the race for governor, it appears Eliot Spitzer is trying to squash the underdog threat from fellow Democrat Thomas Suozzi - a strategy some think plays into Suozzi's hands.

Weld's run takes hit as rival backed

William Weld's campaign to become governor suffered a blow yesterday when the chairman of the state Conservative Party personally endorsed John Faso, one of Weld's main GOP rivals.

Spitzer: I'll sign 'morning after' pill bill

Democratic candidate for governor Eliot Spitzer on Monday promised to sign a bill that would allow pharmacists to dispense "morning after" conception-preventing pills to women and girls without prescriptions.

Spitzer courts minority community

Suozzi ready to make it official

Taking the final step in his challenge to state Democratic leaders, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi has decided to declare his candidacy for governor on Feb. 25 in Glen Cove, the city where he grew up and served as mayor, sources close to the campaign said.

Mr. Suozzi goes to D.C.

Tom Suozzi sounded very much like a candidate for governor during his trip here yesterday, blaming New York's high property tax rates on "special interests" in Albany - while steadfastly refusing to identify the culprits.

Governor candidate: Cut education bloat

John Faso, an upstate Republican who is seeking his party's nomination for governor, said yesterday that he would slow the growth of education spending and trim Medicaid to limit increases in the state budget.

Clinton says she not taking sides in potential Spitzer-Suozzi race

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi -- a potential candidate for governor -- appeared at the same event Wednesday advancing the same cause, but the senator insisted she's not picking sides in any potential Democratic primary.

Spitzer's strong abortion backing

State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer received a key endorsement yesterday in his run for governor from the state's most influential abortion rights group, NARAL Pro-Choice New York. The organization's leader simultaneously attacked Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi for what she called an untrustworthy position on reproductive rights.

Jockeying to replace Paterson

Not many people have wanted to lead the Democratic minority in the State Senate. Republicans control power so tightly that members from the other side are relegated to gadflies.

Upstate, a Suozzi solution

If the state identifies surplus money, it should only send billions more in aid to New York City schools if it can also come up with dollars to lower property taxes and increase job growth upstate, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi said yesterday.

Lack of 'real' people at Suozzi rally

As he traveled upstate yesterday to make his pitch for governor, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi was looking for regular folk - the beginnings of a grassroots following that would spread his message.

Golisano drops guv bid

Rochester billionaire Thomas Golisano's decision yesterday not to enter the governor's race disappointed some Republicans who had hoped for a political fat cat who could help finance GOP candidates on the remainder of the ballot.

Former foe now backs Spitzer

State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer secured a key segment of black support yesterday when Leecia Eve, a Buffalo lawyer he passed over as his running mate, agreed to drop out of the race and back Spitzer in his bid for governor.

He knows Suozzi lurks

At his public appearances, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has been hit by questions about Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, his potential rival in the race to secure the Democratic nomination for governor.

Spitzer targets fill coffers of potential rival

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who has made cracking down on Medicaid fraud a centerpiece of his likely bid for governor, accepted $19,000 in campaign contributions between 2002 and 2004 from a nursing home owner whose businesses were investigated by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for overcharging the health program by nearly $1 million, records show.

Spitzer's pick ruffles important feathers

Leecia Eve, the Buffalo lawyer who state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer passed over in his choice for a running mate, made it clear yesterday that she would not withdraw from the race, raising the possibility for a nasty primary as Spitzer pursues the Democratic nomination for governor.

Ellis Henican: Spitzer looks like Rudy redux

Same prosecutorial personality.

Spitzer fills his ticket

Finalizing his ticket ahead of the usual political calendar, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has chosen state Senate Minority Leader David A. Paterson to be his running mate in the governor's race, and the Harlem Democrat has accepted the offer, Spitzer's aides said yesterday.