New York state Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (R) floated a potential 2014 gubernatorial run on Monday against Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), whom he accused of being a “schoolyard bully” on gun control laws.
McLaughlin told the Albany Times-Union that New York’s 4 million gun owners, who live mostly upstate, are his support base. He previously criticized Cuomo’s championing of the SAFE Act that put constraints on assault weapons, saying “Hitler would be proud” of the law’s passage.
“Could it be viewed as a David vs. Goliath? Yes — but David won,” McLaughlin told the newspaper. “I’m not a wallflower.”
McLaughlin told the Times-Union that would further capitalize on his upstate appeal by focusing on economic revitalization of the region. He criticized Cuomo’s economic proposals that benefit the governor’s “cronies,” saying “a two-day canoe trip” doesn’t cut it with constituents.
McLaughlin’s exploration of a challenge to Cuomo was first reported Monday by the New York Post.
