Rob Astorino Says He Will Move Forward with Candidacy for Gov

One gubernatorial candidate says he will not back down, even if he is not his party's  endorsed candidate.

Rob Astorino says, "They're just so bad in Albany...this state is going to h--- real fast."

The New York State GOP has formally endorsed U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, but Astorino says that he is embracing the open field and taking his case "directly to the 2.9 million Republicans" in New York.

He says that "Hochul has all the slime of Cuomo on her...she was the belle of the ball with him for seven years...Who didn't know that Andrew Cuomo was a creep?"  He says that the Republican party "at the time played footsie with him and kept it going...and that includes, unfortunately, Lee Zeldin."  He says "Nothing has changed...We're going to let Republicans in the state decide," not the party.

He says that he has not yet selected a running mate yet, but - when pressed about representation of Upstate New York - said that he would definitely consider a candidate from Upstate.

"It's not just about who can carry the flag...it's about who can get elected."  When he said he was considering someone upstate to be his running mate, he did, however, mention Westchester County in the same breath that he mentions upstate and the Southern Tier.

Regarding new voters in the state, and legal immigrants, he says, "It's imperative to be able to bring over Democrats...we have such an opportunity right now...They are running toward our arms; we had better embrace them."

Of Andrew Giuliani, who is also considering a run, Astorino says he believes that he is a stronger candidate, asserting that the Giuliani name is, in New York both a blessing and a curse.