Report: Pataki to announce presidential bid Thursday

Defiant in the face of long odds and political pundits, former New York Gov. George Pataki will announce his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in Exeter, New Hampshire, on Thursday, according to a report.

“It will be a very stiff climb up a very steep mountain, but that hasn’t stopped me in the past,” Pataki said in an interview with the New York Post on Monday, acknowledging the fact that skepticism abounds over his potential campaign.


The Republican has barely registered in national polls of presidential contenders, and faces long odds to be part of the first debate on Aug. 6 in Cleveland. Fox News has said that it will only invite the top 10 candidates based on a national polling average (though it will allow for more candidates in the event of ties).

The former three-term governor is putting a lot of importance on doing well in New Hampshire, the first primary state of the election cycle.

“I’m a Republican following in the tradition of Teddy Roosevelt who understands that conservatism isn’t just economic policy and but it’s also preserving and enhancing the outdoors,” Pataki said, adding that marriage, gun rights and education should be left up to individual states to decide.