Former NY Gov. George Pataki won’t rule out 2012

Yet another name in the ring that seems to grow bigger by the day. Former New York Governor George Pataki is a name I hadn’t actually considered, however, Pataki says he has not ruled out running for President in 2012. His decision will be pending for a little while.

Story from NY1:

Sixteen years to the day after his upset victory over Andrew Cuomo’s father in the race for governor, former Governor George Pataki says he is not ruling out a run for president in 2012.

During a wide-ranging interview for tonight’s “Inside City Hall,” NY1’s Michael Scotto asked Pataki if his active involvement in this mid-term election cycle meant that he was planning on throwing his hat into the 2012 presidential race. The three-term executive said that he is looking at the field and assessing the contenders.

Pataki: “I’ve learned enough to never say yes or no with absolute finality, so I’ll see going forward.”

Scotto: “So you haven’t ruled it out?”

Pataki: “No, I haven’t.”

Scotto: “Are you leaning one way or the other?”

Pataki: “I’m looking right now. We’re still a week out of the elections. I want to see who else is out there and think about it.”

I can’t honestly see Pataki going very far. In fact, I posted similar thoughts back on March 6th, 2006 when Pataki was considering a run in 2008. Compared to heavyweight candidates like Daniels, Romney, Palin and others, Pataki is a non-starter for most Republicans. Still, I’d like to go on record for a second consecutive Presidential Election cycle to say that George Pataki has no chance.


Nate Ashworth

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for over a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016 that continues today.

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