Wilson Described as Comptroller Frontrunner

Scarsdale resident Harry Wilson may be an unknown to most voters statewide, but Republican leaders are impressed by his background and monetary access, with some describing him as the current GOP frontrunner for state comptroller.

Wilson, a retired hedge fund manager who was tapped by President Obama to help craft a bailout of the auto industry, announced this week his candidacy for the Republican nomination for comptroller. He has started making the rounds of GOP party leaders statewide and explaining why he should be placed on the ticket.

Wilson attended Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb's fundraising reception on Monday evening at the Fort Orange Club in Albany.

The reception gave him a chance to mingle with Republican legislators, staffers and advocates from across the state. Those at Kolb's reception are in a position to help Wilson gain the support he needs for the nomination.

A source close to the Republican state legislative leadership described Wilson as the frontrunner, and said his chances are "incredibly good" in receiving the nomination.

Wilson's ability to pour millions of his own money into a statewide race - and the ability to talk as a Wall Street veteran - are cited as the main reasons for why he is the current frontrunner to challenge state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, a Long Island Democrat appointed in 2007.

Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, the Republican's 2006 nominee for lieutenant governor, is the only Republican seeking support for the comptroller's nomination.

The source further said that Wilson has formed a close relationship with former Assembly Minority Leader John Faso (R-Kinderhook), who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006 and comptroller in 2002.

Faso, who was viewed as the frontrunner for the 2010 state comptroller nomination before dropping out late last year, is close to state Republican Chairman Ed Cox, who will play a role in determining the composition of the state ticket.

According to a report Tuesday from NY Daily News political blogger Liz Benjamin, Wilson has retained Rockland County based pollster John McLaughlin as his pollster and Republican consultant Adam Stoll as his chief strategist. McLaughlin is considered one of the top Republican pollsters in the state and Stoll managed former Gov. George Pataki's successful 2002 reelection campaign.

The comptroller's race is considered low profile this year, with the governorship and both U.S. Senate seats up, along with the attorney general's seat and the entire state legislature. Several Republican insiders from around the state said they have not heard much about Wilson and said the race against DiNapoli is not on their radar screen's currently.

The attention is focused on the Democratic primary for governor, where Gov. David Paterson is likely to face challenges from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and the potential of a primary against U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Former U.S. Rep. Rick Lazio (R-Suffolk County) and Port Authority Commissioner Bruce Blakeman, who ran for state comptroller in 1998, are the only announced GOP candidates for those jobs.

DiNapoli is considered vulnerable this year. A longtime state assemblyman, he was appointed by the state legislature in February 2007 after former Comptroller Alan Hevesi stepped down following a guilty plea in using state drivers to transport his wife and actress Peggy Lipton, who was dating his top aide.

Hevesi won reelection in 2006 over little known former Saratoga County Treasurer Chris Callaghan even with the scandal brewing. DiNapoli's appointment was not without controversy, with then Gov. Eliot Spitzer attacking the legislature is choosing Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's pick over Spitzer's pick. The decision led Spitzer to travel the state attacking Democratic assemblymembers in their home districts.

One state Democratic Party insider said DiNapoli's low profile, coupled with how he was appointed, low fundraising and the decline in the performance in the state pension fund due to the current economic climate could lead to his defeat.

"It is the perfect storm," the insider said.

Wilson's private sector credentials are not without criticism. A Republican source with knowledge of the comptroller's race said there is concern that Wilson's background as a hedge fund manager and with the auto industry bailout could hurt him in the long run, given voter anger towards Wall Street.

Vanderhoef is also starting up his statewide campaign, but has contacts statewide from his race for lieutenant governor. The longtime Rockland county executive, who lost a 2002 race for Congress in a district spanning Westchester, Rockland and the Bronx, is slated to speak to the Conservative Political Action conference in Albany on Monday. Benjamin reported that Wilson is expected to attend the Conservative conference on Sunday.

The support of the state Conservative Party is likely to held decide the Republican nominees this year. In 2006, Faso successfully used the Conservative nomination and grassroots support to gain the gubernatorial nomination over former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who was supported by GOP establishment types close to Pataki.

The state comptroller serves as the state's chief fiscal officer, heading the Department of Audit and Control. The comptroller is the state's accountant, conducts audits of state agencies and local governments, along with serving as the sole trustee of the state pension fund. The 2006 election marked the first time in 32 years that state voters choose a comptroller and governor from the same political party.