Guv hopeful Paladino appeals to tea party activists

Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino came to a Riverhead rally of tea party activists Friday night, predicting an upset victory Tuesday against the party's designee, Rick Lazio.

"This will be our strong point - right here on Long Island," said Paladino, surrounded by about 150 supporters who came to the Elks lodge for the rally. "We've been advertising, sending out mailers and doing telephone calls so we're ready."

A senior Paladino aide, who asked not to be identified, said that Paladino in recent days had reached out to Suffolk GOP chairman John Jay LaValle hoping to drain away support from Lazio. Paladino predicted that he would get a strong voter turnout, particularly in Suffolk County.

Bob Meyers, a Paladino organizer who lives in Baiting Hollow, said he believes support for Paladino is growing among registered Republicans like himself. "Nobody ever thought we'd get this far," said Meyers about Paladino's challenge to Lazio.

Lazio's campaign says they're prepared to make a big primary day push on Long Island, where the 52-year-old former congressman from Brightwaters is looking for support to balance an upstate turnout in Buffalo and elsewhere where Paladino hopes to do well.

"We feel extremely confident" that Lazio will win the GOP primary, said spokesman Barney Keller, and go on to face Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, in the November general election.

Lazio recently opened a Bay Shore office to coordinate efforts on Long Island.

Also at last night's event was GOP Senate candidate David Malpass, who is vying with Joseph DioGuardi and Bruce Blakeman for the party nod, and 1st Congressional District candidate Christopher Cox.

Cox, the son of state GOP chairman Edward Cox, is battling with Randy Altschuler and George Demos to earn the right to go against incumbent Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) in November.