From the NY Times:Could another media mogul be looking to make a splash in New York politics?
Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the real estate tycoon and publisher of The Daily News, is considering a bid for the Senate seat now held by Kirsten E. Gillibrand, according to two people told of the discussions.
Mr. Zuckerman regards Ms. Gillibrand as vulnerable to a challenge and is hoping that, at a time of economic tumult and political unrest, his background as an outsider to government, and his record as a business executive, will appeal to the state’s electorate, these people said.
He would be the latest boldface name to weigh a run for the seat this fall; a former Tennessee congressman, Harold E. Ford Jr., is mulling a primary run against Ms. Gillibrand, a fellow Democrat, and will make a decision in the next few weeks.
The discussions were preliminary, the two people cautioned, with many details of a possible candidacy yet to be worked out. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were meant to be private and Mr. Zuckerman had not made up his mind.
Mr. Zuckerman is considering whether to commission a poll to test the viability of a candidacy, one of the people said.
A Zuckerman spokesman, Ken Frydman, declined to address any discussions that Mr. Zuckerman might have had about a Senate run, or any plans to conduct a poll.
Mr. Frydman said Mr. Zuckerman was unavailable for comment on Friday afternoon, but he added in a statement that the publisher “is not interested in running for public office.”
Mr. Zuckerman, 72, has long sought a national platform. He has cut a wide swath through the media landscape, buying and selling magazines like The Atlantic and writing a regular column for U.S. News & World Report, which he owns.
Though not currently enrolled in a party, he is known as a Democrat. But if he ran for the Senate, it would very likely be as a Republican or independent so he could avoid a costly primary.
And the NY Post is all giddy about this idea.
No more media moguls running NYC, ok?
6 comments:
Oh God help us.
Based of what his papers have been dishing out he could be worse then Bloomberg or Ted Kennedy.
So this is what he was up to huh ?
Isn't he a Canadian, how can he run here ?
Why is Arnold the Governor of California?
The Post is giddy because they think it's getting rid of the competition.
Yeah! We need more inept and corrupt career politicians running the place, not media moguls. More of Paterson's crew; and that one who beat his girlfriend; and throw in some "Reverends". They will straighten everything out and our taxes will go down. Sounds great!
Actually, all that you mentioned are state politicians, not mayors.
I'm not saying I'd vote for him, but at least Zuckerman is a known quantity who has expressed his opinions widely on Sunday morning talk shows (e.g., the McLaughlin Group) and in his syndicated column. Based on what I've heard him say on TV, I've always felt that he was a Conservative Republican, but maybe his views have changed?
At 72 Zuckerman is entertaining his circle of powerful friends that he can do this if he wants (he won't) and is stimulating others to consider alternatives to the incumbent which no one believes is qualified or has performed effectively as Senator in DC. So Zuckerman is probably looking to clear a path in which the Dem party is already acknowledging a primary will be held, in which Zuckerman will play the role of KINGMAKER!
With his deep pockets, his role of Publisher of the NY Daily News and his special interests of being a realestate developer he could potentially reap the benefits of backing a contrarian winner.
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