One of the more prominent Republican contenders to run for New York Governor against Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo this year has decided he won’t be a candidate after all.
A downstate businessman said to be one of the top picks among Republicans to square off against the two-term incumbent, won’t be a contender. Harry Wilson of Scarsdale has basically said it all came down to family considerations.
The 46-year-old money manager has four daughters ranging in age from 9 to 16. In a Facebook post, Wilson said he realizes that a campaign for governor “would be a 24/7 endeavor through Election Day,” and he says “This is a level of family time and commitment that would not be possible at any point during the campaign, in my first year in office and perhaps not at all throughout my time as governor.”
Wilson did not rule out a run in the future, noting that four years from now, two of his daughters will have gone off to college, and in eight years, all of them will have done so.
Wilson previously made an unsuccessful run for state comptroller in 2010.
For now, the Republican contenders being talked about for the gubernatorial race this year include Assembly Minority Leader and Canandaigua resident Brian Kolb who has already declared he will seek the nomination, as well as possible contenders State Sen. John DeFrancisco, Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro and former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra.
