GOP/NEW YORK: “The leader of the New York Assembly Republican conference, Brian Kolb, on Tuesday [12-12-17] announced he is running for governor, the first Republican to enter the 2018 race against Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Mr. Kolb, 65 years old, has represented the Finger Lakes Region as a state assemblyman for nearly 18 years. He was elected to lead the minority GOP conference in 2009…
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, is running for a third term. Democrats have a roughly two-to-one registration advantage in the state, and Mr. Cuomo has about $25 million in campaign funds on hand.
The most recent Republican governor was George Pataki, who served between 1995 and 2006.
The Republican Party had been hoping to coalesce around a candidate later this year and avoid a primary, GOP officials have said. The nominating convention is in May.
Harry Wilson, a corporate turnaround expert and former member of the Obama administration, and John DeFrancisco, a Syracuse-area senator, have said they are considering seeking the nomination.
Mr. Kolb said he would step aside for a different nominee ‘if we have a fair and open convention.’
A campaign spokesman for Mr. Cuomo didn’t comment.”
-Mike Vilensky, “First Republican Announces N.Y. Gubernatorial Bid,” The Wall Street Journal online, Dec. 12, 2017 05:40pm