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NEW YORK (AP) — Republican George Pataki said he is "very seriously" considering a run for president in 2016, arguing that the nation needs a chief executive with the kind of experience he gained during three terms as New York's governor.
Pataki told the Daily News (http://nydn.us/1yVKXpv) that he will decide next year whether to run. He said he has received good responses from the ordinary citizens he has met on trips to states that include New Hampshire.
"I ran a big complex state government under very difficult circumstances, in my opinion very well," he said.
Pataki, 69, did not return messages on Tuesday, and a spokesman declined to comment on the report. It's an unusually low-key way to start a White House bid: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush took a less timid approach when he announced Tuesday on his Facebook page that he will "actively explore" a presidential campaign.
Pataki was governor from 1995 to 2006 and was mentioned as a potential presidential contender in the 2008 and 2012 elections. Since leaving office he has launched a consulting firm and joined Chadbourne and Parke, a New York City-based law firm.
A popular moderate Republican in heavily Democratic New York, Pataki would face a competitive GOP primary field. Besides Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and many others are believed to be eyeing the presidency.
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