On the heels of a New York Times report that Rudy Giuliani won’t be running for Governor of New York, the New York Daily News now reports that Rudy will instead run for Senate against appointed Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — and that if elected, he’ll use it as a stepping stone to make another run for President!
The Daily News cites a source close to Rudy:
If elected, the source said, he would use that as a stepping stone to run for President in 2012 – and would not run for re-election to the Senate. A Giuliani spokeswoman downplayed the reports.
The New York Senate seat is up for a special election in 2010, due to the appointments of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and Kirsten Gillibrand as Senator, but would then be up again for its regularly-scheduled election in 2012. Recent polls have actually given Rudy a lead over the lesser-known Gillibrand, though this would quickly be put to test in an actual campaign in a heavily Democratic state. For one thing, Rudy would face a lot of questioning about whether he’s just using the Senate seat as a temporary stepping stone to the presidency.
Rudy’s spokesperson downplayed the report: “When Mayor Giuliani makes a decision about serving in public office, he will inform New Yorkers on his own.”
Late Update: Giuliani’s spokeswoman is denying the story.
