GOP unity put to the test in governor's race

Weld and Faso each have support of party delegates, but short of sharing a ticket seem headed for a primary

BY MELANIE LEFKOWITZ | Newsday Staff Writer

June 1, 2006

William Weld poses for a photo after speaking to members of the Rochester Rotary Club in Rochester, N.Y. (AP Photo / February 7, 2006)

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 two candidates for governor, William Weld and John Faso, had about equal support yesterday afternoon, said several Republicans, including Weld. The party endorsed former Yonkers mayor John Spencer for U.S. Senate, but a last-minute push to unite behind a single candidate failed, and former Reagan aide KT McFarland also won a ballot spot.

And although Spencer, with 63.5 percent of the convention vote, called for McFarland to step aside so he can focus on defeating Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, McFarland said she had no intentions of doing so.

"I think a primary's great. But if he feels terribly strongly about it, I suggest he drop out," she told reporters. "He can do the chivalrous thing, and Mrs. Clinton and I can go at it woman to woman right now."

The statewide convention was held in the Hofstra University Arena, where the vast floor, empty bleachers and vaulted ceilings seemed to dwarf the hundreds of delegates assembled on folding chairs. In defiance of polls that show Republicans lagging far behind Clinton and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, endorsed by his party Tuesday to run for governor, speakers tried to project optimism and urged the party to build on the past 12 years of Republican control.

State Senate majority leader Joe Bruno continued to press Weld and Faso to share a ticket, a suggestion both have rejected. But he praised fellow Republicans for hosting a more inclusive convention than the Democrats, who did not allow Spitzer challenger Thomas Suozzi to address them Monday at their meeting in Buffalo.

"The opponents are the Dems," Bruno said. "Not each other. And either one is viable and credible."

Announcing the selection of Secretary of State Christopher Jacobs of Buffalo as his running mate, Weld said he believes he and Faso each have about 40 percent of the convention vote, and that support of Nassau County chairman Joseph Mondello could be crucial. Mondello told reporters later he will probably split Nassau's vote, which amounts to about 10 percent of the delegates' total.

"It's going to be close," he said. "My message is, let the people decide."

Either way, Weld said, he plans to win. "I am scrambling and I do better when I scramble. I prefer to run as an underdog," he said. "My experience in the past has been that a primary can be a very good thing, to not only energize the faithful but to help candidates fine-tune their skills."

Staff writer Rick Brand contributed to this story.