Is The Party Over For Weld?

We may know as early as Tuesday whether William Weld, who suffered a stunning defeat at the GOP convention last week, will heed the call of some party leaders and step down.

The New York Times' political blog, The Empire Zone, is reporting tonight that the Weld campaign is saying the candidate has heard the calls for him to step down in the name of party unity and is considering it, though, the sources said, he still has the desire to run.

Capitol Confidential has also been hot on the story, reporting earlier today that state GOP chairman Steve Minarik and former state party head Alexander Treadwell publicly asked Weld to drop out of the race and avoid a costly, contentious primary.


RUDY SPEAKS OUT ON HOMELAND SECURITY CUTS

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is credited with leading New Yorkers through one of the city's darkest days on Sept. 11, 2001, spoke out tonight for the first time against the cuts in federal security funding for New York City. Giuliani, in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press , said he doesn't think the cuts were politically motivated, but he did say they show "a certain level of incompetence."

RUDY, McCAIN "HOTTEST" PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

And, no it has nothing to do with sex appeal. In its latest national poll Quinnipiac University asked Americans to rate 19 national leaders on what it called a "feeling thermometer."

Here are results, direct from Quinnipiac, that are of the most interest in New York:

Results in mean scores, not percentages, show:

Giuliani with the highest overall score- 63.5, with Republicans giving him a 73.5: Democrats 57.5 and independents 61.1. McCain with an overall score of 56: 59.3 from Republicans, 53.5 from Democrats and 56.4 from independents. Clinton with a total score of 49.9, with Democrats giving her a 72 rating, Republicans 25.2 and independents 48.9.

"Sen. Clinton is a more polarizing figure than either Sen. McCain or Mayor Giuliani," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "She has almost universal name recognition. Because it is harder to change a voter's opinion once it is formed, her work is cut out for her once she gets past her core supporters."

HILLARY SAYS GAY MARRIAGE NOT A MAJOR ISSUE

Sen. Hillary Clinton thinks the debate about gay marriage, under way this week in the Senate, amounts to a whole lot of nothing, the Associated Press reports.

Clinton, at a fundraiser today, said voters in New York have little to say about the issue and are a lot more concerned about several other issues - like terrorism, health care and high gas prices.



PETITION DRIVES BEGIN IN EARNEST

Jonathan Tasini, the anti-war activist and a progressive Democrat hoping to challenge Clinton for her Senate seat, will begin handing out petitions to supporters tomorrow in an effort to get his name on the primary ballot. Tasini managed to get a watered-down anti-war resolution approved at last week's Democratic convention. But he was unable to win support for a complete, immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democratic attorney general candidate who got less than 1% support at last week's convention, will kick off his petition drive tomorrow as well. Ditto Democratic A.G. candidate Charlie King (2 p.m. Grand Central Stattion) and Democratic gubenatorial candidate Tom Suozzi (in Brooklyn and Queens).