GOP in New York looks to Giuliani

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York Republicans are completely out of power for the first time in four decades. Democrats rule the executive and legislative branches and hold 26 of the state's 29 congressional seats.

On the fringes of this grim political tableau hovers a larger-than-life figure who won worldwide acclaim after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Rudy Giuliani, considered the GOP's best chance for redemption, has a new nickname: Rudy the Savior.

In a hypothetical contest for governor, a Jan. 27 Marist College poll found 47 percent of New York voters favored the former New York City mayor, compared to 46 percent for incumbent Democratic Gov. David Paterson. Paterson was 10 percentage points ahead in November. And a Siena College poll last week gave Giuliani a 60 percent approval rating -- the best he's done since March 2007.

State Republican Chairman Joseph Mondello says he has already talked to Giuliani about running.

"I'm coming away cautiously optimistic," Mondello said. "The conversations I've had with him, and we've had a few, certainly are promising. . . . he would energize the party."

Giuliani isn't talking. He took a sound beating in his run for the GOP's presidential nomination, and the former mob prosecutor is making millions in his global consulting firm.

But he doesn't have to speak on his own behalf.

"I certainly think there is a groundswell developing among New Yorkers for his kind of leadership in these difficult times," said Randy Mastro, a former deputy mayor to Giuliani.

The math is clear. Giuliani would do well in the suburbs and upstate, like most Republicans do. Unlike most Republicans, he also would grab a big share of vote-rich New York City, thanks mostly to his Sept. 11 leadership. Paterson, on the other hand, is an unelected governor who rose to power after Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace in March 2007.

The Republican Party has pushed Giuliani for governor for more than a decade, and he has said no every time.