George Pataki for President

"George Pataki Suspends Presidential Campaign" +

2-minute ad run on NBC in IA, NH and SC from Dec. 29, 2015.

[Music]

Pataki:  Hi I’m George Pataki.  I was honored to lead the people of New York State as governor for over a decade.  I brought to that job the values I learned growing up on a small family farm in the Hudson Valley;   The values of hard work, family, faith and community.  But mostly what I brought was a belief in America – that tomorrow would always be better – and that as a free people we could accomplish anything.
 
Today, too many Americans feel their children’s future won’t be as bright as their own. They are frightened by the prospect of radical Islam attacking us here. And frightened by a government in Washington that grows more and more powerful.
 
If we’re truly going to make America great again - we need to elect a president who will do three things; confront and defeat radical Islam, shrink the size and power of Washington and unite us again in our belief in this great country.
 
As Governor on September 11th, yes I saw unspeakable horror, but I also saw Americans united as never before, and what Americans can do when we stand shoulder to shoulder.  On that day and the days that followed we weren't black or white, rich or poor, Republican or democrat - we were just Americans.  We need to recapture that spirit.  Because I know when we stand together - we can accomplish anything.
 
While tonight is the end of my journey for the White House as I suspend my campaign for president, I am confident we can elect the right person. Someone who will bring us together and who understands that politicians including the president must be the people’s servant and not their master. I know the best of America is still ahead of us.
 
Happy New Year, may God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.


Notes:  This is the Pataki campaign's first and last ad.  It ran as a result of an agreement between several of the Republican campaigns and NBC, after the campaigns requested equal time following Donald Trump's Nov. 8, 2015 appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." Compare ads run by Gilmore, Huckabee, Kasich. 

(PDFs):  Gilmore  |  Graham  |  Huckabee  |  Kasich  |  Pataki.
 

Dec. 29, 2015 press release

Pataki Suspends Campaign for President
"I know the best of America is still ahead of us."
 
New York, New York - In a two minute "fireside chat" airing in primetime on 12 NBC affiliates in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, former New York Governor George E. Pataki tonight announced that he is suspending his campaign for president.
 
In the ad, Pataki said, "While tonight is the end of my journey for the White House as I suspend my campaign for president, I am confident we can elect the right person. Someone who will bring us together and who understands that politicians, including the president, must be the people’s servant and not their master."
 
Pataki, the only Republican candidate to immediately and consistently call out the divisive rhetoric of Donald Trump, said, "If we’re truly going to make America great again - we need to elect a president who will do three things; confront and defeat radical Islam, shrink the size and power of Washington and unite us again in our belief in this great country."
 
In suspending his campaign, Pataki struck an optimistic chord for the future saying, "I know the best of America is still ahead of us."
 
He added, "I'm deeply grateful for the opportunities this country has given to me and my family. None greater than the honor of leading New York State for three terms as Governor."
 
Pataki who served as Governor of New York from 1995-2006 was elected three times as a Republican-Conservative. His record of implementing conservative policies in a deep blue state is unmatched: cutting taxes by over $140 billion, reducing the welfare rolls by over a million and shrinking the size of government by 15%. When he left office, New York State had the lowest unemployment rate since they started measuring, had preserved over one-million acres of open space and was transformed from the most dangerous state in America to the safest.

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