Rep. Peter King won't run against Kirsten Gillibrand, but would have run against Caroline Kennedy

Daily News
by Michael Saul
August 31, 2009

Rep. Peter King announced Monday he will not challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand next year, but would have entered the race if Gov. Paterson had appointed Caroline Kennedy instead.

"I would have run if Caroline Kennedy were the Democratic candidate," said King, a Republican from Long Island, in a statement. "Her candidacy would have generated the media coverage and financial contributions necessary for me to run a competitive race."

In January, Kennedy lobbied Paterson for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, but the governor ended up choosing Gillibrand, a congresswoman from upstate New York.

In an interview with the Daily News, King said he genuinely covets the Senate seat but believes it would be impossible for him to raise enough money to overcome the Democrats' registration advantage.

Statewide, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 3 million.

"I would have to spend every waking moment over the next year trying to raise money for that race," he said.

"And it would still be a stretch."

Still, King said he believes a well-financed Republican could beat Gillibrand, who he said is operating "under the radar" as a senator.

"No one even knows she's there, which actually works to her benefit," he said.

Ex-Gov. George Pataki has said publicly he is considering running and is flattered when supporters urge him to do so. An aide recently told The News he won't make a decision before late fall, at the earliest.

Since her appointment, Gillibrand has spent the year building her campaign coffers and rounding up support from the Democratic establishment.

Last month, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) reversed her decision to challenge Gillibrand in the Democratic primary.

While Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other prominent Democrats are working overtime to clear the decks for Gillibrand in the primary, some Democrats are still contemplating a bid.

Democrat Jon Cooper, a member of the Suffolk County Legislature, told The News yesterday he's leaning toward a challenge.

"If I had to decide today, I'd say I'm going to do this," said Cooper, who has set up an exploratory committee.

Long-shot candidate Jonathan Tasini, who unsuccessfully ran against Clinton in 2006, has already announced his candidacy.