Kissinger May Challenge Cuomo for N.Y. Governor : Says He Is Flattered by GOP Pleas

Former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger said today that at the urging of New York GOP leaders he is considering seeking the Republican nomination to run against Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo this year.

“Republican leaders have urged me to run for governor,” Kissinger said in a statement issued by his New York City office. “I had not previously considered standing for elective office, but I am complimented by their request and I feel I owe them a consideration of their views.”

Chris Vick, Kissinger’s executive assistant, said she did not know which GOP leaders had asked Kissinger to run or when he might make his decision.

Earlier, a Republican source in Washington, who discussed the matter only on condition he not be identified, said “Kissinger wants to do it.”

Public Policy Figure

The source quoted Kissinger as saying, “I want to be a figure in public policy.”

Backers of a Kissinger candidacy have argued that he has probably the highest name recognition of any New York Republican and could raise the millions of dollars that would be needed to run a credible race against Cuomo.

A recent poll, however, put Cuomo far ahead of several possible Republican challengers, including Kissinger.

A Republican Party official said New York State Republican Committee Chairman Anthony Colavita met recently with Kissinger to discuss a possible candidacy.

‘Have Had Conversations’

“I do know they (Kissinger and Colavita) have had some conversations,” the official said.

The official also confirmed a report today by the the Record in Hackensack, N.J., that Kissinger has met with representatives of Market Opinion Research, a political consulting firm in Washington. Robert Teeter, who heads the firm, worked on President Reagan’s 1984 presidential campaign.

Kissinger, 62, who was national security adviser under President Richard M. Nixon and secretary of state to Nixon and President Gerald R. Ford, is head of an international consulting firm based in New York City.

Cuomo, who received a 79% approval rating in a recent public opinion poll, had no comment on the report about Kissinger. So far, the Republicans have no candidate to run against Cuomo, who is also mentioned frequently as a potential 1988 Democratic presidential candidate.

Cuomo’s term expires in January, 1987. He was elected governor in 1982.

‘Serious Discussion’

The Record quoted a Republican familiar with Kissinger’s intentions as saying, “It’s under serious discussion. No decision’s been reached.”

The state party official said Kissinger met Friday with Republican strategists to discuss a possible bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

The newspaper said the meeting was attended by James Cannon, a Kissinger confidant who was an administrative assistant to former Senate Majority Leader Howard H. Baker Jr. (R-Tenn.).

The newspaper quoted Republican sources as saying the topics discussed included the amount of money needed to challenge Cuomo and the strength of the Republican Party in New York.

The meeting also was attended by Roger Ailes, a Republican television and radio consultant and a senior representative of Market Opinion Research, the newspaper said.