Syracuse, NY -- Divisions in the Republican Party were on display Friday as the state party chairman and the leading GOP contender for governor held separate news conferences in Syracuse, one hour and one mile away from each other. State party chairman Ed Cox, who supports Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy for governor, spoke at noon at Onondaga County Republican...
Syracuse, NY -- Divisions in the Republican Party were on display Friday as the state party chairman and the leading GOP contender for governor held separate news conferences in Syracuse, one hour and one mile away from each other.
State party chairman Ed Cox, who supports Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy for governor, spoke at noon at Onondaga County Republican headquarters on West Onondaga Street. County Chairman John DeSpirito, who also endorses Levy, stood at Cox’s elbow.
An hour later, gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio held a news conference in Hanover Square. County Executive Joanie Mahoney, a Republican who often differs with DeSpirito, stood at Lazio’s side.
Cox portrayed the lack of unity among Republicans is a good thing, a sign that candidates will be chosen by rank-and-file party members at the state convention beginning June 1. “We in the Republican Party are going to have a fair and open convention, at which the grassroots of the party . . . are going to be able to choose the candidates that they want,” he said.
Lazio, a banker and former congressman, predicted the delegates will choose him. Recent polls have shown Lazio well ahead of Levy and another GOP hopeful, Carl Paladino, among Republican voters.
Lazio was accompanied to Syracuse by his choice for lieutenant governor, Greg Edwards, county executive of Chautauqua County in Western New York. Mahoney, who introduced Lazio, said she was happy he had chosen a county executive as running mate because programs launched in Albany often have a big impact on county costs.
After the news conference, Mahoney deflected questions about whether Lazio had initially tried to recruit her as a running mate. “There were private conversations that I wouldn’t want to compromise,” she said. “But he has known from the very beginning that I like my job here.”
One thing all the Republicans agreed on: New York is a mess and it’s the fault of Democrats. Cox said the GOP would change the “culture of corruption in Albany,” which he blamed on Democratic control of each branch of government.
What about Joe Bruno? The former state Senate majority leader, a Republican powerhouse, was sentenced earlier this month to two years in prison after his conviction on federal corruption charges. “Senator Bruno is the past,” Cox said. “We’re talking about the present situation.”
Contact Tim Knauss at tknauss@syracuse.com or 470-3023.