A New York City politician who was once the state Senate's highest ranking Democrat is thinking about running for mayor — as a Republican. WAMC's Dave Lucas has details.
Former Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith told New York City media that he is "exploring the possibility" of a run on the GOP line.
The Democrat represents a liberal section of Queens. But his views on some issues put him slightly to the right of some other Democratic candidates.
Smith became majority leader in 2009 after the Democrats gained control of the chamber for the first time in a half-century.
But his tenure was punctuated by political chaos and gridlock and he was deposed in a political coup after just six months.
He has had a lower profile in the Senate since then.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.