Office of the Governor Next year’s race for governor in New York has officially begun. Republican leaders gathered in Albany Monday to hear from potential gubernatorial nominees, who would go on to compete next year against either Gov. Andrew Cuomo or whichever Democrat lands on the ticket in his place. Steps from the state capitol, eight interested Republicans took on the task of convincing their colleagues they should be the first Republican elected statewide since 2002. Among them were two former challengers to Cuomo, a member of Congress and Rudy Giuliani's son. The message from the potential nominees was clear: the Republican Party intends to focus the upcoming election on the controversies surrounding Cuomo, the economy and the consistent out-migration from New York during his tenure in office.