Mayor Giuliani reached a critical turning point in his political career yesterday, bowing out of the U.S. Senate race to treat his cancer – and leaving the GOP to find another candidate to face a formidable foe.
“This is not the right time for me to run for office,” Giuliani told a jam-packed City Hall news conference.
“I used to think the core of me was in politics. It isn’t.”
Contrite and reflective, the mayor said the pressure of the race had kept him from figuring out how to treat his life-threatening disease.
He dismissed a suggestion his decision had anything to do with his relationship with Upper East Side divorcee Judi Nathan which came to light May 3.
Returning to her apartment last night, Nathan was asked if she helped the mayor make his decision. “Quite frankly my only concern is for the mayor’s health and I’m praying for him to have a speedy and complete recovery,” she said.
Giuliani’s announcement was marbled with references to God, his loved ones and his “passion” for the city – and touched off a flurry of frenetic reaction in what already has been a dramatic three weeks:
* Long Island Reps. Rick Lazio and Peter King immediately jumped into the ring to do battle with Democratic foe Hillary Clinton, catapulting them into one of the most closely watched races in the country.
Lazio, with the apparent backing of the GOP establishment, touted himself as the “strongest Republican candidate,” while King conceded he doesn’t have much of a chance against odds-on favorite Lazio.
* Two hours after the mayor’s announcement, top Clinton campaign aide Harold Ickes went on the attack against Lazio, blasting his voting record and linking him to “radical Republicans.”
* First Lady Donna Hanover – whom the mayor did not mention in his announcement – said she’ll “try and help” the mayor with his health problem.
Her reaction came in marked contrast to last week, after he announced to the press his plans to separate from her and she responded by accusing him of an affair with onetime aide Cristyne Lategano.
* The mayor pledged to spend the remaining 18 months of his term reaching out to anyone who has not shared in the city’s renaissance – especially minorities.
The Rev. Al Sharpton cast a wary eye on the conversion, cautioning “time will tell” if the mayor sticks to his promise. Giuliani made a similar pledge after his 1997 re-election.
* The mayor said he’ll now focus on “fighting cancer,” first figuring out how to treat the disease that was diagnosed April 27.
Under intense pressure to make up his mind, Giuliani said he had been going back and forth for weeks. He said he was still undecided Thursday after his nationally televised town hall meeting.
He spent a sleepless night trying to figure out what to do, he said.
“And then this morning I decided this is not the right thing to do. It’s not the right time … it’s not the right priority for me right now,” Giuliani said.
Giuliani was still saying as late as 11:45 a.m. on his weekly radio show he was unsure about his future.
The mayor never formally declared himself a candidate – which aides privately attributed to superstition but others saw as a reluctance on the part of a managerial-minded mayor to run for a legislative job.
After raising $19 million, Giuliani was locked into the race until he found himself up against the twin foes of his cancer and crumbling marriage – and a growing sense of his own mortality.
Giuliani waxed philosophical during the announcement, saying he was forced to confront what was important to him and he hoped to be “a better person.”
Two of the mayor’s best friends, restaurateur-actor Elliot Cuker and ex-Deputy Mayor Peter Powers had advised Giuliani to pull out – and people close to the mayor could tell two days ago he was withdrawing, sources said.