Ford not running for NY Senate, Zuckerman possible
Sara KuglerHarold Ford Jr. didn't name names when he said a divisive Democratic primary might help a Republican win the U.S. Senate seat, but a likely possibility is Mortimer Zuckerman, the real estate tycoon and newspaper publisher.
Zuckerman in recent weeks has been exploring the idea of running for U.S. Senate this year, including discussing it with another wealthy businessman-turned-politician, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Ford, a former Tennessee congressman, announced Monday night he had decided not to run, saying he did not want to weaken the Democratic party with a bitter primary challenge to New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
"It would have been a close, tough, tough fight," Ford said Tuesday. "The last thing I wanted to see was for this seat to go Republican."
The only declared Republican in the race is little-known attorney Bruce Blakeman, who has said "I'm not a wealthy man" and estimates he would need to raise $15 million to $20 million to run a credible campaign.
Republican leaders are likely to accept Zuckerman, who has a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $1.5 billion, as an attractive possibility because of his ability to pay for his own campaign.
State Republican Party chairman Edward Cox said he also has talked recently to Zuckerman, who was concerned about what was happening in Washington and the world.
"He was looking at the possibility that he might run," Cox said.
Bloomberg and Zuckerman recently talked about the possibility of the 72-year-old Daily News publisher mounting a GOP campaign this year, according to two people familiar with the conversation. Zuckerman is not registered with any party but would run on the Republican line.
The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversation was private, said Bloomberg warned Zuckerman that it is a rude awakening to go from the private business world to politics, where so much is out in the open for examination.
Bloomberg's wealth is estimated by Forbes at $17.5 billion, and he self-financed his three winning campaigns for City Hall. The liberal-leaning mayor ran on the GOP line each time.
Like Bloomberg, who stepped down from his financial information company to run for mayor in 2001, Zuckerman likely would have to leave his media positions if he were to run. Zuckerman also is editor of U.S. News & World Report.
His real estate investments also could complicate a political campaign; his company, Boston Properties, is publicly traded. Among its properties is Manhattan's landmark General Motors building, which the company and its investment partners bought last year for a reported $2.8 billion, the highest price ever paid for a building.
Zuckerman, who said he has not made a decision about running, appears regularly as a television pundit, often discussing economic issues and foreign policy. He was among a group of CEOs who had lunch with President Barack Obama at the White House in January.
Zuckerman regularly criticizes both major parties, saying last month on "The McLaughlin Group" political commentary program that the nation suffers from the "inability, somehow or other, to fashion policies that are addressing the real problems."
"The Democrats don't want to cut the spending, and the Republicans don't want to increase taxes," he said. "There has to be more people ready to reach out to the middle and make a solution."
Gillibrand, who was appointed to her seat last year when Hillary Rodham Clinton became U.S. secretary of state, has vowed to wage a vigorous campaign no matter who her opponent is this fall.
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Associated Press writer Michael Hill contributed to this report.