Long Island Democrat to Switch Parties, Run for N.Y. Governor, Report Says

1 year ago

0 Comments Say Something »

Text Size

Correspondent

This could get interesting. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, an outspoken fiscal conservative, is about to switch from the Democratic to Republican Party and launch a campaign for governor of New York later this week, according to the New York Times.

Levy, the popular elected leader of a county stretching to the far end of Long Island, called the culture in the New York state capital a "cesspool" and claimed he would be a perfect fit for cleaning house and rebuilding state government in a "cleaner, more efficient manner." David A. Paterson, the current occupant of the governor's office, is enmeshed in scandal but has refused to resign. His predecessor, Eliot Spitzer, stepped down after admitting to frequenting a prostitute.

Levy, a sharp critic of illegal immigration, would likely face former Rep. Rick A. Lazio in the Republican primary. An aide said Levy would make a formal announcement Friday in Albany. New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is expected to be the Democratic candidate in November.

Filed Under: Democrats, Republicans, Scandal, Governors, 2010 Elections, Conservatives, Campaigns

Tagged: 2010 governors elections, 2010 Governors Races, andrew cuomo, AndrewCuomo, Daily Guidance, DailyGuidance, New York Governors Race, ny governors race, rick lazio, RickLazio, steve levy, SteveLevy

Our New Approach to Comments

In an effort to encourage the same level of civil dialogue among Politics Daily’s readers that we expect of our writers – a “civilogue,” to use the term coined by PD’s Jeffrey Weiss – we are requiring commenters to use their AOL or AIM screen names to submit a comment, and we are reading all comments before publishing them. Personal attacks (on writers, other readers, Nancy Pelosi, George W. Bush, or anyone at all) and comments that are not productive additions to the conversation will not be published, period, to make room for a discussion among those with ideas to kick around. Please read our Help and Feedback section for more info.