Rudy Gets A Roasting

The leader of the New York Conservative Party says New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani fails on almost every issue that conservatives hold dear.

"I think I would rather that he didn't run," Michael Long said during his party's political action conference in Albany.

Long also suggested that his party may field its own Senate candidate against Giuliani and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democrat, no matter how damaging it might be to the Republican cause.

"Occasionally, conservatives have to take a tough stand," said Long, who refused to say who his party is looking at as a possible candidate.

In New York state, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by an almost 5-3 margin, no Republican has won statewide office in the past 25 years without the Conservative Party's endorsement. Republican George Pataki beat then-Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1994 on the strength of the Conservative Party vote.

However, Giuliani didn't back down. "Sure, we'd like to have the endorsement," Giuliani spokeswoman Kim Serafin said. "However, the mayor will not sacrifice principle for political expediency."

"The mayor does not and will not change his views for anybody," Giuliani campaign manager Bruce Teitelbaum said.

Giuliani, appearing on Buffalo's WBEN-AM radio Tuesday morning, said again that he didn't know if he would make a formal announcement of his Senate candidacy. But when asked if he was running, he said: "Looks that way right now. It feels that way."

Giuliani dismissed Long's advice that he not run for the Senate.

"I don't think he can really stop me from running," the mayor said.

"If you try to go lock-step in line with all these political parties, you really lose your effectiveness as a leader. You also lose your effectiveness as a senator," Giuliani added.

Asked whether he needed the backing of the Conservative Party to win, the mayor said, I need the backing of the people of New York, that's what I need to win, not the backing of a particular party.

In New York, unlike most states, major party candidates can run on several ballot lines and the votes for them on all lines are then added together to determine the election winner.

Giuliani has routinely run for mayor with Liberal Party backing. But Long has said that the only way Giuliani could win Conservative Party backing in his Senate bid would be to give up Liberal Party support and come out in favor of a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions.

Giuliani, like Clinton, is an abortion rights supporter.

"If he refuses to evolve or be open-minded on the issue I believe more than 75 percent of the people of New York consider a horrific act and infanticide then, in fact, he has to accept the responsibility of that decision," Long said.

Long said he hasn't even talked to the mayor since a brief conversation in Augst when the mayor said he would get back in touch.

"He's wrong on domestic partners, he's wrong on gays in the military, he's wrong on gay rights, he's wrong on rent control, he's wrong on ... we could just go on and on and on," Long said. "The question would be what issues is he right on. He's right on (school) vouchers and he's a good strong administrator. But being a strong administrator doesn't make you a good United States senator."