Publisher Zuckerman may seek Gillibrand Senate seat

Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand might face another possible challenger for her U.S. Senate seat, according to published reports Friday.

Atop rumors that former Tennessee Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. might oppose Gillibrand in a party primary, there's now talk that New York Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman also might toss his hat into the ring - something that his spokesman denied.

"He's not interested in running for political office," said Ken Frydman, a spokesman for Zuckerman, on Friday evening. "But he will remain heavily involved in public policy" debates, he added.

On Friday, The New York Times reported that two unnamed sources indicated that Zuckerman was looking at the possibility of running against Gillibrand, who was appointed last year by Gov. A. David Paterson to fill the remainder of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's term after she left to become secretary of state in the Obama administration.

Zuckerman, a 72-year-old real estate tycoon who has owned the Daily News for more than a decade, is often seen on television shows offering his opinions about politics and national policy.

According to the Times' report, Zuckerman may rely on a public-opinion poll to gauge the public's view of him as a viable candidate and might run in the general election as an independent or even as a Republican, rather than in a primary.

Republican Bruce Blakeman, a former presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature, has announced that he is running for Gillibrand's seat.