POSSIBLE NEW YORK SENATE RUN – AT 7:09 P.M. ET:  The Republican Party in New York is a model of nothingness.  By "party," the GOP in NY usually means whoever the highest ranking Republican official is, his staff, and maybe his sisters and his cousins and his aunts. 

That semi-party is looking for a Senate candidate to pull a Scott Brown in a usually Democratic state.  There are some intriguing developments:

Real estate and media mogul Mort Zuckerman has reached out to New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox about a possible Senate campaign this year, Cox told the Albany Times Union:

"I have talked with Mr. Zuckerman, and he has expressed an interest in running for the Senate," Cox told the paper. "He's very concerned about the direction this country is going and, as I think many Americans are, as the most recent elections have proven, whether Massachusetts or here in New York, Nassau County, Westchester County. He has always wanted to serve his country and thinks perhaps he can serve by running for the United State Senate."

The New York Times reported last Friday that Zuckerman was toying with the idea of challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as a Bloomberg-style centrist Republican, but Zuckerman avoided direct comment in an interview with POLITICO.

COMMENT:  Zuckerman could finance his own campaign, is fairly well known as a political commentator on TV, but has no political organization and has never run for office.  Those problems didn't stop Mike Bloomberg, but Bloomberg had a huge boost from his predecessor, Rudy Giuliani. 

The question is whether Zuckerman has the sparkle.  But he may be the best name the GOP has, now that Rudy has decided not to run.  At least he can pull off a full, well-financed effort.

February 18, 2010