Weekenders: The LI, NYS campaign trails

The potential Levy factor is prompting raised voices and vows of resistance from the Rick Lazio camp. As GOP state chairman Ed Cox continues to entertain the alternative Democrat, Conservative state chairman says he's getting ready to close the door on behalf of Lazio.

Besieged Gov. Paterson grants a high-profile pardon.

Fox's Hannity goes from pundit to patron in plugging his pal John Gomez for Congress -- a candidate who concedes he has never been active in local politics, prompting consternation from a few local conservatives.

The NY Post travels some well-trod ground here to point out what's been widely-known in political circles: That Spitzer picked Paterson over strong advice, and that even patriarch Basil Paterson had backed Leecia Eve for LG.

More 'out-now' drumbeat in the News as a former spokesman distances himself from the familiar Paterson discrepancies.