Rob Astorino Says Announcement On Gubernatorial Bid Coming Wednesday
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said Tuesday he will make an announcement soon on whether or not he'll challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November.
In a Twitter post, Astorino said he'll be releasing a video Wednesday.
Astorino, 46, who was re-elected as county executive last year, has been working to line up donors.
"It's not just about money, but it's about money," Astorino told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell last week. "Unless you raise enough to get the message out, you're just sort of talking to yourself."
Astorino told Haskell he thinks the state can do better than it has done under Cuomo's leadership.
"We're losing the most people out of our state than any other state in the country," Astorino said. "We have the highest taxes. We have the worst business climate."
Astorino said a possible run by Donald Trump won't impact his decision.
One recent poll showed Astorino trailing Cuomo by 34 percentage points. Another found that 76 percent of respondents didn't know Astorino or had no opinion of him.
"He's got his work cut out for him,'' said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Poll. "He has to become well known, he has to make a case that Cuomo needs to go and that he's seen as the alternative.''
Cuomo, who lives in Westchester County, hasn't spoken publicly about an Astorino candidacy.
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