Cuomo Says He Regrets Absence From Campaign
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo expressed regret Sunday that he is not running for the Democratic presidential nomination and cannot campaign in New Hampshire.
“I regret I’m not able to run and I regret that I’m not able to be with the people of New Hampshire right now,” Cuomo said in a telephone interview two days before the New Hampshire primary.
It was the latest twist in Cuomo’s flirtation with the presidential contest. He ruled himself out as a candidate on Dec. 20, but since then has been unable to detach himself from the campaign.
As five major Democratic candidates campaigned in New Hampshire, a Draft Cuomo Committee was urging voters there to write in his name when they go to the polls on Tuesday.
Cuomo has said that New York’s budget problems preclude him from running for president. “If I had a budget, I would be in New Hampshire right now,” he said. “If I had a budget, I would be campaigning on the stump right now. I would be there from early morning to late at night if I had a budget.”
Asked whether he would join the presidential race late if he met the budget deadline, Cuomo dismissed the question as speculation.
“I’ll have an answer to that question when I get the budget, if I get the budget,” he said.
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