The state Conservative Party endorsed Rick Lazio for governor yesterday — a day after Suffolk County executive Steve Levy, a Democrat, shook up the race by announcing he was running as a Republican.
“He’s a real Republican,” Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long said of Lazio after members voted. “I don’t know who the real Steve Levy is.”
After a passionate two-hour meeting in Brooklyn, 14 party leaders voted for Lazio, four for Levy and one for Buffalo tycoon Carl Paladino, according to sources.
“I’m going to be the Conservative and the Republican candidate,” Lazio said after hearing the news of his endorsement.
No Republican has won statewide without the Conservative Party endorsement. But Levy’s campaign downplayed the show of support for Lazio, saying it “was merely an unweighted recommendation.”