Rudy Giuliani should run for governor in 2010, Newt Gingrich says

Nearly 15 months after his disastrous presidential campaign, former mayor Rudy Giuliani began laying the groundwork last night for a potential bid for the governor's mansion in 2010.

In a speech at the New York Republican State Committee annual dinner in midtown, Giuliani said the budget just approved by Democrats in Albany "indicates how this state is being run in exactly the wrong direction."

While Giuliani didn't discuss his 2010 political intentions directly, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) explicitly called on Giuliani to run for governor and for former GOP Gov. George Pataki to run for Senate.

"If we had Mayor Giuliani for governor and we had Gov. Pataki for senator, we would be a large step towards the tidal wave which will make 2010 comparable to 1994," he said, referring to the GOP electoral sweep in '94. "That should be our goal."

Both Giuliani and Pataki preened as Gingrich said he hoped the duo would realize they have a "leadership obligation they can't avoid."

"If you decided to take this state back, you could do it," Gingrich declared.

Pataki told the Daily News he's considering running, but won't decide for months. He said Giuliani would be a "great governor" and predicted he would win.