Last week’s announcement by Andrew Cuomo and H. Carl McCall to run for Governor, means that the race for 2002 has begun even before the 2001 New York City Mayoral Campaign is finished. Both men are good candidates and gives the Democratic Party a chance against the incumbent, Governor George Pataki, who is expected to seek a third term.

Both Cuomo and McCall are hoping that the recent statewide victories for the U.S. Senate by Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton are indicators that the state is ready for a Democratic Governor at the State House.

Some columnists like Greg David at Crain New York business magazine, have raised the question of whether George Pataki has "run out of stem" in his second term. He raises concern about how indecisively the Governor has acted in the past few months. He attributed this problem to the fact that many of the top administrators and staffers are "tired and leaving." Pataki must move quickly and decisively if he is really serious about a third term because both Cuomo and McCall are very strong candidates with outstanding credentials.

H. Carl McCall is the highest-ranking elected Democrat in the state of New York as he now serves his second term as State Comptroller. He is 65, educated at Dartmouth College and Newton Theological School.

McCall is an ordained minister and has served as the Vice President at Citicorp; a deputy Ambassador to the United Nations; Commissioner of the New York State Division of Human Rights and State Senators. He, like Pataki, has won statewide office for two consecutive terms. His wife is Dr. Joyce Brown, the President of Fashion Institute of Technology.

Andrew Cuomo is married to Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, the daughter of the late, great Senator Robert Kennedy. Before going to Washington to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, he founded Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged (H.E.L.P.), which built and assisted homeless people with housing.

Obviously McCall and Cuomo are both equally qualified for the job, but if Pataki chooses to run, whoever wins the Democratic primary will face a major challenge. Former Senator Al D’Amato and recent Senate Candidate Rick Lazio lost statewide races. But if Cuomo or McCall take Pataki as anything less than a strong candidate, they will watch him as he is sworn in for a third term. However, the converse is also true, if Pataki doesn’t take the Democratic winner seriously, he will not have that opportunity.

One of the intriguing questions is whether H. Carl McCall can hold enough of the African-American votes in the primary to assure a victory? Although McCall is African-American, Cuomo is giving no ground and is very aggressively pursuing the African-American vote. The most recent Marist polls support this thesis with 43% of African-American Democrats supporting Carl McCall and 33% supporting Andrew Cuomo. However, the same survey shows Cuomo leading with registered Democrats by 45 percent to 25 percent.

It is a long way from 2002, but the campaigns are already in high gear. None of the candidates should have problems raising money. Pataki as the incumbent will do very well. McCall as the Comptroller can draw from the connection gained over the years of building relationships through the post. Cuomo has both a high national profile and family connection that can tap into the rich Kennedy machine and resources.

The race may be determined by the endorsements of Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton. Some feel that their victories are indicators that Pataki is weak and Democrats will rule the tate. We will also see after New York City has elected its new Mayor. That election will also have impact on who becomes the Governor of New York.

It appears that the heavy weights are in the ring. We have almost two years before we know whether there will be a knockout, T.K.O. or just long fight.