By: Hellen Zaboulani
Andrew Giuliani, son of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, says he leads the Democrats who will face off to unseat New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.
As reported by the NY Post, the 35-year-old Giuliani revealed a poll he commission, which showed him in the lead ahead of GOP rival Rep. Lee Zeldin by eight points, to face off against the three-term incumbent Governor. The poll, conducted by Triton Polling & Research on June 24-25, surveyed 587 Republicans statewide, revealing that Giuliani has a 35.2 percent backing from Republicans, compared to 27.2 percent who support Zeldin. The survey, which was made via automated calls on landlines to Republicans, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Andrew Giuliani has served as a White House aide to former President Donald Trump, and his father took on the unpopular role of serving as the former President’s personal lawyer. Using this new poll, Giuliani hopes to win over the Republican Party leadership, and get them out of backing Long Island congressman Zeldin as their favorite nominee.
Over 30 Republican Party county leaders have already endorsed Zeldin, 41, who has represented NY’s 1st congressional district since 2015. The congressman’s campaign boasted that he has already attained the weighted party vote to be chosen as the GOP’s preferred candidate. On Monday, party leaders from across NYS will meet in Albany to conduct a “straw poll” selecting their favorite candidate for governor. Giuliani seemed unfazed. On Sunday, he told The Post, “The most important voices in the public process are the 2.9 million registered Republicans. We are the people’s candidate.”
“Let the registered Republicans decide the nomination, not a few Republican leaders in a backroom in Albany,” Giuliani added, “I think I am the strongest candidate to defeat Cuomo and take the state back.” In order to qualify for ballot status to participate in a primary, a candidate must have a minimum of 25 percent of the party’s weighed vote at next year’s GOP convention. Otherwise, the candidate would need to spend money collecting voters’ signatures from across the state in order to earn ballot status and run in the primary. Giuliani noted that if need be, he would be willing to petition voters to make it on the ballot.
Zeldin’s campaign pollster John McLaughlin dismissed Giuliani’ survey results, saying it fails to cover the large percentage of voters who use cell phones. “This is not a poll,” McLaughlin said. “Giuliani is not being honest with the Republican county leaders by putting out these robocall results before their meeting.”
