Eliot L. Spitzer, the New York attorney general whose investigations of white-collar crime have garnered headlines across the country, announced yesterday that he will run for governor of the Empire State in 2006.
The Democrat, who is believed to have been eyeing the job for years, said he is running to shake up a state he depicted as facing a "crisis." "The system is broken," Spitzer said in a statement, pointing to what he called gridlock in Albany and the need for more "good-paying jobs, safe neighborhoods and excellent schools."
Eliot L. Spitzer is state's attorney general.
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Eliot Spitzer Bio
From
Associated Press
at 10:59 AM
Full name: ELIOT LAURENCE SPITZER
Party affiliation: Democrat.
Age: 45
Birthday: June 10th, 1959.
Birthplace: New York City.
Personal: Married to Silda Spitzer, a Harvard Law School graduate. The couple has three daughters.
Primary residence: New York City.
Education: Princeton University, 1981; Harvard Law School, 1984.
Experience: Law clerk for U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet, 1984-85; private law practice, 1985-86; assistant district attorney in Manhattan, 1986-92; chief of labor racketeering unit of Manhattan district attorney's office, 1991-92; private law practice, 1992-1998; attorney general, 1999-present.
Political career: Finished fourth in a four-way primary for the Democratic nomination for state attorney general, 1994; defeated Republican incumbent Dennis Vacco for attorney general, 1998; defeated Republican Dora Irizarry for attorney general, 2002.
Quote: "The state is at a point of crisis" -- Dec. 7, 2004, announcing he will run for governor in 2006.
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"I bring people together whether they like it or not, and we tackle complex problems -- not with Band-Aid solutions, but with major reform and real change," he said. "We did it in the financial industry and other sectors, and we can do it in government."
His announcement comes weeks after Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who had been considering a run for governor, said he will remain in Washington and head the Democratic Party's efforts to regain control of the Senate. Spitzer, the only candidate in the race so far, may face other lesser-known Democrats in the primary. But Jennifer E. Duffy, a campaign analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said she does not expect him to have to contend with the sort of bruising intraparty contest that has roughed up previous candidates.
New York Gov. George E. Pataki (R) has not said whether he will seek a fourth term. Pataki, who is believed to be considering a run for the White House, welcomed Spitzer to the race yesterday and said he has not decided on his own plans for the election.
Spitzer, a Harvard-trained lawyer serving his second term as the state's head lawyer, reported having $5.2 million for a campaign in his most recent financial report.
