Gov. Pataki insisted yesterday he didn’t endorse Long Island Rep. Rick Lazio over Mayor Giuliani as the GOP candidate for Senate on Sunday.
“That’s not accurate,” said Pataki when asked about Neal Travis’ exclusive report in yesterday’s Post of an exchange at Al D’Amato’s birthday bash in the Hamptons.
“It was a social event. We weren’t talking politics,” the governor continued.
Pataki – many of whose aides and advisers back Lazio in a potentially divisive GOP primary against Giuliani – also contended he had “made it very plain that I will support our nominee” for the Senate.
“At this point we don’t have a candidate,” Pataki continued.
Travis said he “stood by” the report in his column.
“I would say the governor was being a little flip when I said to him, ‘Surely you’ll run the best candidate to beat Hillary Clinton?’ and he responded, ‘You mean Rick Lazio, of course.’
“But the whole group at the party was so virulently anti-Giuliani that it was clear that they were all backing Lazio,” said Travis, who was at the party.
For his part, Giuliani sought to downplay the controversy, saying he had “no idea” what Pataki said at the affair.
“I’ve seen all of those things in gossip columns about me. I’ve seen things that I never said, places that I never was at, and things that are taken out of context so I don’t really worry about it,” Giuliani said.
The little-known Lazio, who appears to have former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato’s strong backing, has said he’ll announce his Senate candidacy in two weeks.
Giuliani, who is coming under increasing pressure from supporters to make his intentions known, has said he’s likely to reveal sometime in September if he’ll enter the race.