Still No Decision From Giuliani on Senate Race

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, stricken with prostate cancer and marital problems, mulled over his political future in private while Democrats used the Sunday talk shows to predict that his U.S. Senate run against First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is all but over.

Giuliani campaign spokesman Bruce Teitelbaum said: “I’ve got no comment on anything. I’ve got nothing to say on anything.”

Democrats, in contrast, cheerily wrote the Republican mayor’s political obituary.

“It’s all over but the shouting,” Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) said on CNN’s “Late Edition.” “As far as becoming the next U.S. senator, forget it. He never really wanted the job.”

Former Mayor Edward I. Koch, speaking on ABC-TV’s “This Week,” agreed.

“He’s going to withdraw, and it has to be before the end of the month because the Republican convention is taking place,” Koch said. “There’s no question in my mind he will drop out.”

Newsweek, citing unnamed sources, reported that Giuliani has chosen “the most extensive and time-consuming course of treatment for prostate cancer, an operation followed by radiation therapy,” and that the 3-month treatment and recuperation period will force him out of the race. Sources told Newsweek that Giuliani had all but decided to bow out of the race two weeks ago, after he learned he had cancer.

Mayoral spokeswoman Sunny Mindel termed the story “completely inaccurate,” adding: “As the mayor has stated repeatedly and unequivocally, he has yet to come to any medical decisions.”

Susan Molinari, a former Republican congresswoman from Staten Island, told NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press”: “Nobody knows at this point. I talked to the mayor’s staff as late as [Saturday]. They are still waiting for him to come to a decision.”

She added, “He’s tougher and stronger than anyone ever gives him credit for, so don’t count him out.”

In addition to having prostate cancer, Giuliani is seeking a separation from his wife, Donna Hanover, who publicly accused him of having an affair with a former City Hall aide. The mayor has also been in the news because of an ongoing relationship with a third woman, Judith Nathan.

New York Reps. Rick Lazio and Peter T. King and Wall Street multimillionaire Ted Forstmann have expressed interest in running if Giuliani drops out.