Could Conservatives stick with Lazio -- and what are the options?

Chairman Mike Long has insisted for months that Lazio would be the Conservative nominee in November. But now that Lazio loses the GOP line, you wonder if he has a chance to draw for the C line the 50,000 votes needed to sustain the minor party's ballot status. Long said there will be a meeting on this matter, now that Lazio won the Conservative primary against Paladino ally Ralph Lorigo. Interesting, by the way, that Jay Townsend, C candidate, beat Gary Berntsen so he'll have both lines against Democratic Sen.Charles Schumer -- and Greg Edwards, the Lazio designated candidate for LG, beat Paladino's man Tom Ognibene for the slot. That could mean a shotgun marriage between Paladino and Edwards, an all upstate GOP ticket, like the ill-fated teaming long ago of Mario Cuomo and Al DelBello. Stay tuned.