May 1998
Innis passes on NY governor's run; mulls New York mayor race in 2001
It's a "no-go" on a governor's run for Roy Innis -- but a "maybe" for NYC mayor, say party leaders.
The well-known civil rights activist decided not to run for governor on the LP ticket -- but is indicating a "strong interest" in running for New York City mayor in 2001, said former LP State Chair Lloyd Wright.
Innis, the African-American president of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), joined the Libertarian Party in January, and said he was considering a gubernatorial bid this year.
State party leaders cheered him on, in hopes that an Innis campaign would generate the 50,000 votes needed for "major party" status.
However, citing CORE business, Innis decided in late February that he would not run.
"Mr. Innis and the CORE board stated repeatedly that they agreed with our principles, but just couldn't afford the time [to run for governor] this year," said Wright. "CORE had their most successful fundraising season ever this year and in the process made commitments to donors to expand their operations."
Wright admitted that partyleaders were "disappointed" by the decision.
"His reasons, however, make perfect sense. They are indicative of the reasons most New York LP members have for not running for office: They don't have the time," he said.
But Wright said the party is still "excited about his joining the party and believe he will help us greatly in the future."
That future could be as soon as three years, because Innis "indicated a strong interest in running for NY City mayor in 2001," said Wright. And, in the meantime, "we plan to work with CORE to reach out to the African-American community."
With Innis out of the running, the party nominated Christopher Garvey as its gubernatorial candidate at the state convention in March. Garvey is a patent attorney and a 1994 LP candidate for Congress.
