NYS GOP Makes Its Choice

New York Republicans have made their choice for their gubernatorial candidate. It will be Rick Lazio.

Rick Lazio was picked at the convention over Dem turned GOPer (and still registered Dem) Steve Levy. Tea Party hack-crackpot Carl Paladino was a distant third, garnering 8% of votes (nearly all from Erie County). A latecomer to the party, Myers Mermel, a real estate consultant, got 4%.

Lazio was selected on the second round of balloting after no candidate got the required 50% on the first ballot.

Paladino still figures to make this interesting by forcing primary races in September by petitioning to get on ballots around NYS.

Of course, the GOP candidate, who ever it was, faces an uphill battle against Andrew Cuomo, who is more than likely going to be the next governor of New York.

The only one who can possibly beat Cuomo is Cuomo himself if he makes unforced errors - which he's done in the past. Cuomo's done well thus far because he's been pretty quiet (for him). He's let others do the talking and the foot-insertion has been kept to a minimum.

Cuomo is a smart guy, but has a tendency to annoy the wrong people, which has gotten him into trouble before.

Still, I don't think Lazio or Levy or anyone else the GOP puts up has much of a chance in NYS. Cuomo has the name recognition and is seen as a guy who might be able to clean things up in Albany (of course, the same was said about Spitzer before his fall).