Remember George Pataki?
He was governor of New York for 12 years, stepping down eight years ago. Now Pataki, 69, is thinking of running for the Republican presidential nomination, and he’s making an effort in the nation’s first primary state.
He spent two days in New Hampshire earlier this month, including a meet and greet in Hampton. He’s due back next week to address a Cheshire County Republican dinner in Keene and speak to a Saint Anselm College class.
Pataki also has a new Super PAC, and he told the New York Times it’s “a very big step toward the possibility of becoming a candidate. But for the nature of the federal campaign finance laws, I could be an official candidate now.”
He explained to the New Hampshire Journal, “It appears that conditions around the globe continue to get worse and the situation is such that I feel the need and the desire to offer my abilities becomes more compelling.”
Pataki would face a crowded field, full of better known names. Chances are he’d vie for center-right Republicans along with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and others.