Rudy's One-Way Courtship
A day after GOP Senate hopeful Rudy Giuliani got a challenge from his political right, the New York City mayor wants to meet with the head of the Empire State's Conservative Party.
In New York State, candidates can run for office on more than one party line at the same time. No Republican has won statewide race in New York without Conservative Party backing since 1974. Giuliani is in a tight race against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, so both the mayor and the first lady need every vote they can get.
But relations between the mayor and Conservative Party chairman Michael Long are contentious and edgy. If the two don't see eye to eye soon - and so far this campaign, they haven't - then Giuliani may fight for the minor party's endorsement in a September primary.
Long demands Giuliani back a ban on the late term abortion procedure that critics call "partial birth abortion." But Giuliani, an abortion rights supporter, refuses. Also, Long wants Giuliani not to seek the endorsement of the Liberal Party, another minor party that's as electorally indispensable to the Democrats in statewide contests as the Conservatives are to the Republicans.
(By the way, Liberal Party boss Ray Harding, whose son Robert is Giuliani's city budget director, is a key ally of the mayor's. On Saturday, Clinton will interview with the party's policy committee. But given Giuilani's ties to Harding, even Clinton aides concede privately that the mayor will probably nab the Liberal nod.)
On top of all that, Long is keen on Joseph DioGuardi, who jumped into the Senate race Monday and calls Giuliani too liberal. DioGuardi, a former congressman from suburban Westchester County, is seeking the Conservative, Independence, and Right To Life party endorsements. Giuliani wants endorsements from the first two of those three - and he's battling with the first lady for the Independence banner, although Clinton won't accept that party's nod if presidential contender Pat Buchanan is at the top of its ticket.
The mayor said Monday he had talked to Long and expressed interest in the Conservative Party line. On Tuesday, Long said that one of the mayor's advisers - he wouldn't identify which one - had telephoned on Monday to say Giuliani wanted to meet with Long. The party chairman said a Giuliani adviser has promised to call back by the middle of this week to set up such a meeting.
Long criticized the way the mayor was dealing with the Conservative Party. "This all should have been done a year ago," he said.
But Giuliani's campaign manager, Bruce Teitelbaum, said Tuesday the mayor has not ruled out a petition effort to force a Conservative Party primary.
"We're keeping our options open and certainly one of those options is to consider a primary," Teitelbaum said.
"The way you get there is open to discussion and we're willing to consider all options," he added. "We still think the door is open with respect to discussions ith the Conservative Party chairman, but that doesn't preclude other options."
Giuliani said he was confident he would win a Conservative Party primary.
Long said Tuesday he had the votes on the party's executive committee to block any move to put the mayor's name on the Conservative Party primary ballot. Giuliani forces believe that if they collected enough signatures from Conservative Party members, Long and other party leaders would be under great pressure to allow a primary with the mayor as a candidate.
So Giuliani could have three fights on his hands all at once: his struggle against prostate cancer, his race against the first lady, and a battle with Long.