The 2016 Presidential Candidates: George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki served three consecutive terms as the 53rd Governor of New York from January 1st of 1995 until December 31, 2006. Before that, the 70 year old lawyer served as Mayor of his home town of Peekskill, and later as a member of the State Assembly and the State Senate. In 1994, he ran for Governor against three-term incumbent Mario Cuomo, defeating him by over 3% as part of what has been called the Republican Revolution of 1994. Pataki succeeded a three-term Democratic Governor, but would himself be go on to be elected to three consecutive terms in what has traditionally been seen as a "blye state". He is one of only three Republican governors of New York elected since 1923, the others being Thomas Dewey and Nelson Rockefeller.
In early 2015, Pataki began exploring a candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016. He had openly considered running for the Republican nomination in the 2012 election, but he announced in August 2011 that he had decided against doing so. Three years later, in
an August 2014 interview with Newsmax TV, Pataki once again expressed interest in a possible presidential bid in 2016. In January 2015, he said on ABC News that he had launched a political action committee (PAC) for the purpose of exploring his candidacy and making preparations for a possible presidential run. On May 14, 2015, Pataki stated on MSNBC's Morning Joe that he would announce his decision regarding his potential candidacy on May 28 at an event in New Hampshire. He later confirmed to the New York Post that he intended to announce his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nominination at the aforementioned event.
Pataki officially launched his presidential campaign on May 28, 2015. He confirmed his candidacy in a video message which appeared on his website, before making a formal announcement before a gathering of supporters and members of the media in Exeter, New Hampshire. Pataki chose Exeter as the location for his announcement because it was the state capital during the Revolutionary War and some consider it to be the birthplace of the Republican Party.
Unfortunately for Pataki, his campaign has taken off like a lead balloon. RCP's averaging of polling data shows Pataki dead last among candidates with any sort of national profile. He has been polling at less than 1 % among Republican primary voters and he no longer appears in their posted poll results. This may be because he is seen as too liberal for the taste of most party members. For example, Pataki is pro-choice and has taken a number of other stances on issues that are out of step with the views of conservative Republicans. Here are some of Pataki's positions on some of the issues:
Gay rights: Pataki lobbyed in favor of a gay rights bill that had lay dormant in the state Senate for many years due to the opposition of Senate Leader Joseph Bruno. In 2003, Bruno finally gave in and the bill passed the Senate and was signed into law by Pataki. However he opposed same-sex marriage as Governor, but was not opposed to civil unions for same-sex couples.
Capital Punishment: When polls showed that the majority of New Yorkers wanted the state's death penalty restored, a bill to do so was passed the Legislature several years in a row, but was vetoed by Pataki's predecessor Mario Cuomo. Pataki made the issue a top priority of his and when the bill reached his desk he signed it into law in 1995. The state's Court of Appeals later ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in the form in which it was written and the State Legislature has not passed a bill to restore it in a new form. During Pataki's 12 years as governor, not a single person was executed in New York State.
Crime: Being tough on crime was a major plank of Pataki's campaign for Governor. In 2011, the administration claimed that statistics showed that crime had steadily reduced during the 11 years Pataki had served as Governor, bringing New York from the 6th most dangerous state in the nation to the 7th safest. During his time in office, he signed into law over 100 new bills to change New York’s criminal statutes.
Gun Control: In 2000, Pataki helped lead the legislature in passing some of the toughest gun control measures in the country. Numerous aspects of the bill had been put forward by members of the Democrat controlled Assembly. Pataki urged a number of his party's Senators in the Republican controlled senate to support the bill, and it eventually passed.
Health care: During his tenure as governor a number of new health care programs were created focusing on expanding care to the state's poorest citizens. In 1999, Governor Pataki signed into law comprehensive health care legislation that provided health insurance coverage, under Family Health Plus, to lower income adults who do not have health insurance through their employers. Child Health plus greatly expanded coverage for poorer families with children under 19 who did not qualify for Medicaid. By 2001, 530,000 children had been enrolled in the program. Family Health Plus expanded insurance coverage even further, offering free insurance to families and single adults who had too much income to be covered by Medicaid but could not afford insurance. Pataki also increased the affordability and availability of medication for seniors under New York's EPIC program by lowering fees and expanding eligibility. New York's 2003 ban on smoking in public places was passed and signed into law under the Pataki administration. The New York Times ran an editorial praising his work on health care.
Environment: Pataki has long been regarded as an environmentalist and he has made the environment and open space preservation a top priority of his administration. Pataki has conserved more land statewide and has pushed bond issues in referendums that provided more money to preserve land and clean up the state's rivers and lakes. He has been a long-standing advocate for cleaning up the Hudson River and in pushing stricter environmental regulations and penalties. In 2005, Bloomberg Businessweek included Pataki among the 20 individuals it commended for their personal efforts to combat global warming, citing his Greenhouse Gas Task Force and efforts to increase New York's usage of renewable energies. In 1996, Pataki oversaw the creation and passage of the Clean Water/Clean Air Environmental Bond Act. The act put forth $1.75 billion for over 2,200 environmentally minded projects throughout the state. Pataki also worked to protect the drinking water of millions of New Yorkers through the Catskill Watershed Agreement. Through the agreement, the numerous small communities that surround the 19 reservoirs that provide drinking water for New York City received $1 billion in aid to assuage environmental issues and promote local development in return for accepting higher standards of environmental regulations to better protect the reservoirs. On Pataki's final day in office, The New York Times ran an editorial evaluating his twelve years as governor and praised his work on the environment.
Education: Pataki vetoed increases to spending at the State University of New York and City University of New York and also vetoed increases to funding for the state's tuition assistance program and equal opportunity program. He called for laws to limit the amount of time a student can receive state tuition assistance while in a public university.
In early 2015, Pataki began exploring a candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016. He had openly considered running for the Republican nomination in the 2012 election, but he announced in August 2011 that he had decided against doing so. Three years later, in
an August 2014 interview with Newsmax TV, Pataki once again expressed interest in a possible presidential bid in 2016. In January 2015, he said on ABC News that he had launched a political action committee (PAC) for the purpose of exploring his candidacy and making preparations for a possible presidential run. On May 14, 2015, Pataki stated on MSNBC's Morning Joe that he would announce his decision regarding his potential candidacy on May 28 at an event in New Hampshire. He later confirmed to the New York Post that he intended to announce his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nominination at the aforementioned event.
Pataki officially launched his presidential campaign on May 28, 2015. He confirmed his candidacy in a video message which appeared on his website, before making a formal announcement before a gathering of supporters and members of the media in Exeter, New Hampshire. Pataki chose Exeter as the location for his announcement because it was the state capital during the Revolutionary War and some consider it to be the birthplace of the Republican Party.
Unfortunately for Pataki, his campaign has taken off like a lead balloon. RCP's averaging of polling data shows Pataki dead last among candidates with any sort of national profile. He has been polling at less than 1 % among Republican primary voters and he no longer appears in their posted poll results. This may be because he is seen as too liberal for the taste of most party members. For example, Pataki is pro-choice and has taken a number of other stances on issues that are out of step with the views of conservative Republicans. Here are some of Pataki's positions on some of the issues:
Gay rights: Pataki lobbyed in favor of a gay rights bill that had lay dormant in the state Senate for many years due to the opposition of Senate Leader Joseph Bruno. In 2003, Bruno finally gave in and the bill passed the Senate and was signed into law by Pataki. However he opposed same-sex marriage as Governor, but was not opposed to civil unions for same-sex couples.
Capital Punishment: When polls showed that the majority of New Yorkers wanted the state's death penalty restored, a bill to do so was passed the Legislature several years in a row, but was vetoed by Pataki's predecessor Mario Cuomo. Pataki made the issue a top priority of his and when the bill reached his desk he signed it into law in 1995. The state's Court of Appeals later ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in the form in which it was written and the State Legislature has not passed a bill to restore it in a new form. During Pataki's 12 years as governor, not a single person was executed in New York State.
Crime: Being tough on crime was a major plank of Pataki's campaign for Governor. In 2011, the administration claimed that statistics showed that crime had steadily reduced during the 11 years Pataki had served as Governor, bringing New York from the 6th most dangerous state in the nation to the 7th safest. During his time in office, he signed into law over 100 new bills to change New York’s criminal statutes.
Gun Control: In 2000, Pataki helped lead the legislature in passing some of the toughest gun control measures in the country. Numerous aspects of the bill had been put forward by members of the Democrat controlled Assembly. Pataki urged a number of his party's Senators in the Republican controlled senate to support the bill, and it eventually passed.
Health care: During his tenure as governor a number of new health care programs were created focusing on expanding care to the state's poorest citizens. In 1999, Governor Pataki signed into law comprehensive health care legislation that provided health insurance coverage, under Family Health Plus, to lower income adults who do not have health insurance through their employers. Child Health plus greatly expanded coverage for poorer families with children under 19 who did not qualify for Medicaid. By 2001, 530,000 children had been enrolled in the program. Family Health Plus expanded insurance coverage even further, offering free insurance to families and single adults who had too much income to be covered by Medicaid but could not afford insurance. Pataki also increased the affordability and availability of medication for seniors under New York's EPIC program by lowering fees and expanding eligibility. New York's 2003 ban on smoking in public places was passed and signed into law under the Pataki administration. The New York Times ran an editorial praising his work on health care.
Environment: Pataki has long been regarded as an environmentalist and he has made the environment and open space preservation a top priority of his administration. Pataki has conserved more land statewide and has pushed bond issues in referendums that provided more money to preserve land and clean up the state's rivers and lakes. He has been a long-standing advocate for cleaning up the Hudson River and in pushing stricter environmental regulations and penalties. In 2005, Bloomberg Businessweek included Pataki among the 20 individuals it commended for their personal efforts to combat global warming, citing his Greenhouse Gas Task Force and efforts to increase New York's usage of renewable energies. In 1996, Pataki oversaw the creation and passage of the Clean Water/Clean Air Environmental Bond Act. The act put forth $1.75 billion for over 2,200 environmentally minded projects throughout the state. Pataki also worked to protect the drinking water of millions of New Yorkers through the Catskill Watershed Agreement. Through the agreement, the numerous small communities that surround the 19 reservoirs that provide drinking water for New York City received $1 billion in aid to assuage environmental issues and promote local development in return for accepting higher standards of environmental regulations to better protect the reservoirs. On Pataki's final day in office, The New York Times ran an editorial evaluating his twelve years as governor and praised his work on the environment.
Education: Pataki vetoed increases to spending at the State University of New York and City University of New York and also vetoed increases to funding for the state's tuition assistance program and equal opportunity program. He called for laws to limit the amount of time a student can receive state tuition assistance while in a public university.