NYS Governor's Race

Assemblyman Patrick Manning (R-Dutchess) has thrown his hat in the ring for the Governor's race. Gov. Pataki has made all the signals that he isn't running for another term, which means that the GOP race is a wide open affair. There isn't a frontrunner, though former Massachusetts Governor William Weld wants to throw his hat in the ring.

What might make watching Manning's race interesting is the fact that he's a blogger. He's one of a growing number of politicians around the country who are blogging their experiences and should bear watching in coming weeks and months, both to discern policy stances and gaffes.

Republican Assemblyman Patrick Manning said Friday he is running for governor, a day after a county Conservative Party gave him one of the first endorsements of the 2006 campaign.

``I've decided I am running,'' Manning said. ``Yes, I am a serious candidate.''

Manning of Dutchess County was endorsed Thursday night by the Columbia County Conservative Party, said county Chairman Matthew Torrey. That's a step in the long process to securing the state Conservative Party's endorsement.

No Republican has won statewide office in New York without Conservative Party backing since the late Sen. Jacob Javits did in 1974.

``He's young. He's articulate,'' Torrey said. Manning is ``a fresh face with impeccable conservative credentials and the only candidate out there who can unite the Conservative Party and rank-and-file Republicans.''

For the record, I am not making any endorsements here - just making observations about who is in the running to be New York's next governor. The problem for the GOP in New York is that their statewide operations are sorely lacking and there isn't a solid choice for people to back. Right now, the leading Democratic candidate is current Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, who has made a name for himself by going after the tobacco companies, drug companies, and Wall Street.