Conservative Party chairman Mike Long came away from a quick meeting with Democrat-who-might-run-as-Republican-for-governor Steve Levy last night “unchanged” in his conviction that he’s not really running – and predicting a fury if GOP leader Ed Cox puruses it.
“I’m convinced he’s not running for governor,” said Long, who met privately with the Suffolk County exectuive last night before his party fundraiser in Albany – adding that if he were running, he’d have declared, and he would need to actually switch registration to show he’s left the Democrats in fact and in spirit.
It came on the eve of a meeting between Levy and the nine GOP regional vice chairs to screen him at the party’s gubernatorial nominee – a clear slap to Republican Rick Lazio and a move that is stirring up frustrations among Republican insiders with chairman Ed Cox.
“Unless Steve Levy announces for governor (and) changes his registratin to a Republican, (Cox) faces a very large backlash” from all corners, said Long, who is supporting Lazio.
The outreach to Levy – coupled with the fact that Cox’s son, Chris, recently switched his voting registration to Long Island and is running for a Suffolk County congressional seat – has inspired deep grumblings about the chairman’s leadership, and not just from people who didn’t support him.
While many people are unhappy with Lazio’s effort so far, as one insider said, “There is nobody else.”
“Ed’s not dealing with reality,” said one insider. Another agreed, saying, “We keep saying how the Democrats are in trouble, and so we’re going to nominate one ourselves?”
There has long been a rumor that Cox, Levy and Suffolk Republican chair John LaValle have domino-style deal going, with the main goal being to get Chris Cox nominated in his own seven-way primary in Suffolk. Ed Cox has strenuously denied it.
But even if it’s not true, the perception remains that there is something off, At a minimum, even Cox supporters privately say it was poor optics for his son to stump for a seat just six months into his chairman term.
“Cox must not realize he is the chairman for the New York State GOP because his actions are only helping to undermine the Republican Party and its candidates,” said one longtime Republican player.