Politics & Government

Paladino Defeats Lazio for GOP Governor Nomination

West Islip native Rick Lazio's campaign came to halting end Tuesday night.

Rick Lazio's bid to be the Republican nominee for governor is over. With about 40 percent of the precincts statewide reporting at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night, Lazio trailed Carl Paladino of Buffalo by some 30 percentage points.  Shortly thereafter,  Paladino declared victory.

At press time, the West Islip High School graduate trailed his GOP opponent 65 percent to 35 percent. Paladino will now face current State Attorney General Democrat Andrew Cuomo this November in the run for governor.

The margin of victory for Paladino might be seen as a surprise to some political pundits as recent polls showed the race between the GOP nominee and Lazio to be deadlocked.

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Throughout the spring and summer, Lazio's campaign struggled to gain a great deal of momentum and fund raising became an issue for the former Long Island Congressman. While Paladino was shut out of the New York State Republican Convention this past June, his campaign was able to collect the required number of signatures for him to gain as spot on the ballot for Tuesday's primary.


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