ALBANY – Comparing himself to Mayor Bloomberg, upstate billionaire businessman Thomas Golisano yesterday announced he’ll run for governor in a campaign expected to cost $20 million.
Golisano said he was launching his third bid for governor “because after 20 years of Mario Cuomo and George Pataki, our schools are still failing in their mission to prepare our young people, and our economy has suffered for too long.”
Golisano said he, like Bloomberg, would finance his own campaign, freeing himself from the influence of “special interest” money. Golisano has told friends he expects to spend about $20 million on the race.
Golisano, 60, who founded the Independence Party in 1994, said he would again seek that party’s nomination.