With more politicians announcing their run for the presidency, the political stage is
beginning to look a little crowded.
One of those candidates is the former Governor of New York, George Pataki.
But, outside of the Big Apple, most people have never heard of this mayor-turned-assemblyman-turned-senator-turned-governor.
So, who is George Pataki?
Well, the 69-year-old candidate has been suspected as a presidential hopeful for the last two
elections, but has not decided to run until now.
From 1981 to 1994, he was elected mayor of his New York hometown, then into the State
Assembly, then the State Senate, and finally, as the Governor of New York.
If he were to win the presidency, he would be joining the ranks of Martin Van Buren,
Grover Cleveland, and both Roosevelts, who were all Governors of New York.
Pataki also attended Yale with our 43rd president, George W. Bush, where they became friends.
As Governor, Pataki’s primary push was for lower taxes, which he compensated for by cutting
education and health care services.
His financial decisions helped to upgrade New York’s credit rating three times during
his administration.
However he was criticized by the Cato (CAY-toe) Institute for failing to be as fiscally conservative
as he had promised in his campaign.
Pataki also supported the building of Native American Casinos as a way of bringing in revenue.
Socially, Pataki is relatively progressive.
In the Senate, he supported a gay rights bill while opposing same-sex marriage.
Early in his career he repeatedly voted against funding abortions.
But in the mid-90s he began calling himself pro-choice, and shifted this view to support
abortion rights.
Pataki also voted to fund all aspects of the War on Drugs, and has rejected the idea of
legalizing any illicit narcotics.
He also introduced a smoking ban in New York in 2003, and passed a number of health care
policies to cover low income adults and children.
Pataki is also an environmentalist, having voted in Clean Air and Water legislation,
and allocating funds for nature conservation.
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Although Pataki’s views are uniquely progressive, they’ve also managed to alienate him from
both major parties.
Additionally, his lack of name recognition coupled with his age has many suggesting that
his chances of winning are slim to none.
Still, having a progressive Republican in the mix could sway centrist voters into supporting
Pataki over other, more fringe candidates.
To learn about another progressive candidate, check out our video on Democratic Socialist
Bernie Sanders.
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Thanks for watching.