Lazio also appears willing to exploit a long-standing feud between Giuliani and New York Gov. George Pataki. Giuliani endorsed Pataki's Democratic opponent, Mario Cuomo, when Pataki first ran for the office in 1994. For this and other reasons, Pataki has been egging on Lazio from behind the scenes, urging him to challenge Giuliani in a primary. But when the governor, under mounting pressure from Republicans, decided on Aug. 6 to give Giuliani his rather tepid endorsement, he asked Lazio to await Giuliani's decision about running before formally declaring. Lazio complied with the governor's wishes in his press conference on Wednesday.
Most political insiders concede that the mayor has no real interest in being a senator.
Still, when Lazio suggested just that in an interview with the weekly Observer newspaper, it galled Giuliani backers. Lazio, on the other hand, first expressed an interest in running about a year ago, reasoning that Moynihan was in his 70s and close to retirement. Lazio subsequently visited Giuliani to make his feelings known, realizing that Giuliani was a two-term official and perhaps also had an interest in the senator's position. Insiders believe Lazio was acting at the governor's behest, in order to smoke the mayor out about his real political intentions. But thus far he has not succeeded.