Carl Paladino may be a (possibly) racist, homophobic, Manhattan-hating moron, but he does have one thing on Andrew Cuomo: he said he wanted the issue of medical marijuana to be put to a referendum, according to the Daily News. Cuomo, on the other hand, recently told reporters that under his administration legalization wouldn't stand a chance. "The dangers of medical marijuana outweigh the benefits," said Cuomo. "I don't think the bill passes." But is the risk of Paladino in office worth the chance at a legal smoke? more ›

Though Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino differ in political views, style, and level of crazy, they do have one key thing in common: being Italian. But even with that, former Staten Island BP Guy V. Molinari told the Times, "As Italians, they are very much the opposite of each other." Meaning Paladino doesn't wear his gold chains in the shower? more ›

Last night, Carl Paladino got into an intense altercation with Post reporter Fred Dicker, which resulted in Paladino threatening Dicker, and campaign manager Michael Caputo promising to cut Dicker out of the loop. And thankfully, the whole mish-mosh was captured on video! Dicker appeared on Fox News this morning to defend himself and explain what happened and why Paladino got so mad. more ›

It seems that the more voters get to know pay attention to Carl Paladino, the less they like what they find: a new Marist/Daily News poll found that over 60 percent of voters find Paladino to be unelectable after being told of his antics, including his incessant rants, bestiality emails and nutty policies. "People don't find this style to be attractive," Marist Poll director Lee Miringoff deadpaned. But just because people are actually noticing Paladino's nuttiness doesn't mean his gubernatorial opponent Andrew Cuomo is looking that much better. Jeez, are we all turning into Rick Lazio's? more ›

There are two people who seem to be guiding forces behind Carl Paladino's gubernatorial campaign—one is Michael Caputo, Paladino's ruthless, attack dog-like campaign manager, who failed to pay nearly $53,000 in federal taxes over the last few years. And the other is Rus Thompson, a Tea Party true-believer with a complicated past and a tether to Paladino's future. more ›

As the gubernatorial campaign has heated up in the last two weeks, there's been a little mud slinging and a lot of great photo shopping. We've also learned that Carl Paladino's wife, Cathy, is a registered Democrat who's had a complicated relationship with her husband: not only did he have a love child with his mistress, but he told his wife about it the same week that his son Patrick was killed in a car accident. But she's ok with all that: "...my first thought was, 'How lucky. Every child's a gift.' That was my thought. I wasn't angry, you know. I can deal with one family crisis at a time. But to multi-task...It's not that important." more ›

Back in law school gubernatorial hopeful Steve Levy had a mustache AND a beard! The bushy hair on his face—along with the towel on his head and the rifle slung over his shoulder—was integral to his 1983 terrorist Halloween costume, dug up recently from the St. John's University Law School yearbook, and exposed via the Daily News. more ›

Embattled by the state's economy and some of his (and his staff's) own missteps, Governor Paterson is considered an underdog to run for governor next year. But here he is, releasing television ads touting his case. The NY Times says of the pair of ads, "The two ads, each 30 seconds long, highlight his biography and address criticism Mr. Paterson has faced from labor unions and business interests over his proposed cuts to the state budget. Both directly confront what polls say is Mr. Paterson’s central political problem: widespread public skepticism that he has the ability to lead the state effectively." more ›

What's this? Governor Paterson, who has repeatedly said he will run for governor next year, is reportedly going to "reassess" his chances of winning the race, if his approval ratings continue to suck. A Democratic source told the Daily News, "He's in it, he's planning to put the team together, but he's said if his numbers don't improve by the beginning of the year, he would have to reassess his campaign." more ›

Rick Lazio, best known for losing against Hillary Clinton in 2000 when she ran for Senate, has officially thrown his hat into the 2010 New York gubernatorial ring. After a few months of speculation, he sent a letter to supporters this weekend, "The present government in Albany is broken. It is a national embarrassment. It can’t be fixed by tweaking it here and there. It is dysfunctional and we need to start all over from the beginning." Of course, the 800-pound gorilla in the Republican sphere is Rudy Giuliani, but there's some rumor he might be better suited running against Kirsten Gillibrand. When PolitickerNY asked Governor Paterson what he thought of Lazio's announcement, he said, "Since I'm not seeking the Republican nomination, and this is a democracy, I would say that's a good idea." more ›

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani finally 'fessed up and told us what we all suspected: He is totally thinking about running for governor next year. On CNN's American Morning, Rudy at first said, "I don't know if I am or if I'm not" running for governor but then said, yes, he was "thinking about it." But Giuliani added, "I don't know if I'm at the point of seriously considering it. It's a little too early." In recent polls, Giuliani does well, winning over Governor David Paterson (but those same polls show him losing to Attorney Andrew Cuomo) and last week he suggested that we call a Constitutional Convention since we're in this State Senate mess—and had some not terrible ideas. Well, if Giuliani brings his 2008 campaign team to the table next year, it should be fun! Especially if people take him to task for his past weirdness (unlike Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski). more ›

Just because Mayor Bloomberg has denied running for governor in 2010 doesn't mean it has to be true! The Sun's Davidson Goldin thinks that for Bloomberg, "Running for governor is likely, and becoming more so." more ›