A poll from the Siena College Research Institute says that it looks like Govenor Pataki won't be reelected. Given various matchups, Pataki would be defeated by either Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who has announced he's running for Governor next year, and Senator Hillary Clinton who is actually being urged by many, including Congressman Charles Rangel, to run for President in 2008. Which means that Pataki seems like a terrible candidate to represent the Republican party. If Rudy Giuliani were to emerge as an alternative Republican candidate, he would be able to beat Spitzer, but not Clinton. Like Clinton, Giuliani is more interested in the Presidency, which makes the Clinton-Giuliani matchup numbers kind of fascinating. But they can hardly be called a national bellwhether, since outside of NY, Clinton is extremely polarizing and Giuliani may still be riding some of the September 11 sentiment in the heartland; oddly enough, Pataki's blandness is more suited for the national stage than either Clinton and Giuliani. Anyway, Gothamist is sort of relieved that the poll numbers bear out that Pataki won't be governor next year, because we've had more than enough.
Siena College Research Institute New York poll
