There may soon be yet another contender in the Republican primary for the 2016 presidential election. George Pataki, who served as governor of New York from 1995 through 2006, hinted at a possible run shortly after Mitt Romney announced that he would not be seeking election, and he is expected to announce his candidacy later this week.
Urgent: Do You Support George Pataki for the GOP Nomination? Vote Here Now
While Pataki was a popular fiscal conservative as governor, his liberal social positions make him an unlikely candidate, at least as far as the mainstream Republican Party is concerned. Pundits also point to low name recognition and too long a time out of office as major hurdles. Nonetheless, the Twitterverse wasted no time responding, and there was plenty to say:
- "The infinitely expandable 2016 Guardians of Peace clown car gets a little bigger." #Pataki Tweeted by @DavidBenAmber January 13, 2015
- "Pataki criticizes former members of congress who become lobbyists. He urges outright prohibition." Tweeted by @jjk607 Febuary 3, 2016
- "#Pataki's talking about ISIS, ISIS, ISIS. GOP candidates can't just scare. @GovernorPataki needs paint vision to break out of single digits." Tweeted by @ProfPlotch February 16, 2015
- "In NH, #Pataki says he wants a "lifetime ban on ever being a lobbyist in Washington." What do you think about that?" Tweeted by @Pay2PlayTV February 05, 2015
- "Former Gov. George Pataki, expected to launch presidential bid next week, said USA should deploy troops to fight ISIS" Tweeted by @rebeccacosta May 20, 2015
Urgent: Who Should the GOP Nominate in 2016? Vote Here Now
- "When government accepts responsibility for people, then people no longer take responsibility for themselves. - George Pataki" Tweeted by @famousquotenet May 23, 2015
- "Pataki Demands Investigation: Hillary Actions an 'Insult to the American People' - Breitbart" Tweeted by @GovernorPataki May 20, 2015
- "George Pataki would make a more formidable Republican candidate than many seem to appreciate" @observer #B.Quigley" Tweeted by @GovernorPataki May 23, 2015
- "Report: Former New York Gov. George Pataki to announce presidential bid Thursday." Tweeted by @Politico May 26, 2015
- "Ignoring the polls and pundits, [@GovernorPataki] plans to announce Thursday that he’s" running for president." Tweeted by @Zachary_Cohen May 26, 2015
Vote Now: Which Potential GOP Candidate Would You Support in 2016?