Gingrich primary loss a relief to NY's GOP

Several top New York Republicans are sure to breathe a sigh of relief as ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich's loss Tuesday in Florida hobbles his drive for the White House.

Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato and others have publicly predicted ill tidings for the state GOP should Gingrich capture the nomination. State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) endorsed Mitt Romney in November.

Privately, party officials say that having the former House speaker atop the ticket could threaten their chances of keeping their State Senate majority -- or of winning the Senate seat now occupied by targeted Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.

"Gingrich would be an anchor around the neck of every one of our candidates," asserted a well-connected Long Island operative.

But at this point, GOP apprehension about Gingrich -- and full-throated support of Romney -- has fallen short of unanimous.

Lawrence Kadish, a major GOP fundraiser and Republican National Committee member from Old Westbury, was quoted by The Associated Press Jan. 20 as saying Gingrich "towers head and shoulders over those other candidates. I don't view Mr. Romney as having a deep rudder, but he's OK."

Then there's Carl Paladino.

The Republicans' landslide-losing 2010 nominee for governor has been traveling outside his home turf of Erie County to campaign for Gingrich. At one point he was even quoted as calling Gingrich "huggable."

When it comes to campaign style, the two do seem to share certain qualities.

From the opposing camp, state and Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said Paladino was "far more offensive, more off the charts, if you will."

"But they're in the same mold. They like to say the outrageous and don't understand what's wrong with it."

If Gingrich makes the November ballot, the Democrats will have "won the lottery," Jacobs said -- echoing some of what Republican activists feared after Paladino petitioned his way to a primary and won in 2010.

An email and a phone call to Paladino's office this week were not returned.

One person's "crackpot" talk is another's fresh thinking -- the difference between critics and backers when it comes to either man. Paladino and Gingrich do have their differences, of course, as you'd expect from a Buffalo developer never in elected office and a longtime Georgia congressman.

Paladino in 2010 said Democratic opponent Andrew M. Cuomo shouldn't take his kids to gay parades where men "wear little Speedos and they grind against each other." Gingrich in 2008 said "there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence."

Paladino proposed turning some prisons into dormitories for those on welfare, replete with employment training and classes in "personal hygiene." Gingrich might have struck some of the same chords by calling for kids in need of money to be assigned to clean their schools.

One Albany GOP insider said: "Romney's going to be a better sell than a Newt Gingrich. He's a moderate conservative -- a good fit in terms of his positions with what the Republicans in the Senate are all about. . . . He'd help bring out independents and conservative Democrats who are unhappy with Obama."