George Pataki Called A ‘Long Shot’ In Bid For Republican Presidential Nomination

Republican George Pataki may have won the governorship in a Democratic New York three times, but few believe Pataki can make a legitimate run at the presidential nomination.

Pataki, who shared Thursday his intention to run for the nomination, said during his announcement video that he hopes to help Americans fall in love with the United States once again.

“My vision was not a partisan vision. It was a vision about people, about what we could accomplish together. If we are to flourish as a people, we have to fall in love with America again.”

In order to win the bid for the Republican nomination, the 69-year-old Pataki would have to defeat the likes of Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Scott Walker, all of whom rank much higher than George Pataki in the opinion polls.

In fact, nearly all of those who have announced plans to try to win the Republican bid rank higher in opinion polls than Pataki. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pataki may not even rank highly enough in national polls to be included in the first Republican debate scheduled for August. The top 10 nationally-ranked Republicans are expected to be included.

So far, eight Republicans have announced their intentions to run for the candidacy. Already, George Pataki is off to a rough start.

In an article titled, “Wait. Why Is George Pataki Running For President?” Washington Post author Chris Cizillia addresses the reasons why Pataki might want to run for the presidency anyway, despite long odds.

“The time was just never right for Pataki to run for president. But that’s a very hard thing to accept, particularly when you have been the governor of one of the largest states in the country for 12 years. Pataki has always wanted to run for president and, by golly, he’s going to do it no matter what the polls and pundits say. He’s 69 years old — he’ll be 70 on June 24 — and it’s sort of a now-or-never type situation.”

During his announcement, Pataki told supporters that, if elected, he would repeal the Affordable Care Act, abolish the Common Core educational standards, and pass a bill banning Congress members from ever becoming lobbyists.

Pataki, who has been out of politics for more than eight years, also made an effort to remind voters of his humble roots, much in the same way Marco Rubio does. While speaking about his father’s job as a mailman, Pataki invoked images of the American Dream.

“Today my brother is an astrophysicist and I am a candidate for the highest office in our country. This is the promise of unlimited opportunity America held for my family and for me.”

Pataki announced his intention to run from Exeter, New Hampshire — the state where Pataki intends to do most of his early campaigning, according to CNN. Since September, Pataki has traveled to New Hampshire 10 times and has set up a campaign headquarters in Manchester, according to the Wall Street Journal. New Hampshire will be the first state to hold a primary vote.

What do you think of George Pataki’s decision to run for the Republican nomination now?

[Photo by DarrenMcCollester/Getty Images]