Planned Switch to G.O.P. Stirs New York Governor Race

[ccharles000]

ALBANY — A governor’s race that seemed all but settled is about to be upended again, by a popular Democrat from Long Island who is set to announce that he is switching parties. The move is certain to excite Republican leaders pessimistic about their party’s hopes this fall.

Those leaders believe that the official, Steve Levy, a blunt-spoken fiscal hawk and contrarian who collected 96 percent of the vote in his last re-election bid, can tap into the public’s anti-incumbent sentiment and frustration with Albany’s overspending.

Mr. Levy, 50, the Suffolk County executive, said he wanted voters to see him as “Scott Brown II,” referring to the Massachusetts senator who pulled off an upset against a heavily favored Democrat in January. “There really seems to be a void out there that I can fit perfectly,” Mr. Levy said, describing Albany’s political culture as a “cesspool.”

“We’ve got to clean house, tear that place down and build it back in a cleaner, more efficient manner,” he added.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/nyregion/18levy.html?src=twt&twt=nytimespolitics

[mdmc]

1. Ha! But he didn't switch fast enough

so now he needs the GOP to agree to allow him to run, even if he wins the primary v. Lazio.
Either way, he is a downstater and will lose to Cuomo both downstate and upstate..
All he can do is split the anti-Cuomo vote..
thanks for the op an link..