Cuomo Booster to Suspend Draft Bid
Former New York Rep. Richard Ottinger said Sunday that he will suspend his efforts to draft Gov. Mario M. Cuomo for the Democratic presidential nomination in deference to the governor’s wishes.
“I say suspend because, should it appear that there will be no convincing front-runner at the Democratic convention, I am sure that all the New York delegates joined by hundreds of other (delegates from) states across the land will seek to obtain the nomination for Gov. Cuomo,” Ottinger said, “and I shall be among the foremost, hopefully with the governor’s approval.”
The former congressman, a leader in the draft-Cuomo movement, said he was responding to a letter he received Sunday morning from the governor.
On Saturday, Cuomo said that “I’ve ruled out a draft,” but he refused to clarify the statement.
Cuomo made his statements on the draft effort as he released the letter he was sending to Ottinger, asking him “not to go forward with your intention to encourage a draft.”
Although Ottinger said he will comply with the governor’s wishes, he still will run as an uncommitted delegate in the New York Democratic primary on April 19. Some of those delegates had been organized to assist in the draft-Cuomo movement.
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