Kissinger Ponders Running Against N.Y. Gov. Cuomo

Former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger announced Thursday that he is considering running for governor of New York state, raising the possibility that Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, a potential 1988 Democratic presidential contender, could face a real reelection challenge in November.

“Republican leaders have urged me to run for governor,” Kissinger said in a statement issued by the New York office of his consulting firm. “I had not previously considered standing for elective office, but I am complimented by their request and I feel I owe them a consideration of their views.”

Kissinger met last week with Republican strategists associated with two of his former mentors--former President Richard M. Nixon and the late Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. Republicans have been openly scrambling to find a candidate to oppose Cuomo--who has already raised $9 million for his campaign and who has more than a 70% approval rating in the polls.

But strategists familiar with Kissinger’s thinking said it appeared very unlikely to them that he would enter the race. One called it “nothing more than a flirtation.”

Nevertheless, some Republicans were elated by the announcement. “I believe Henry Kissinger would be a formidable candidate and one who could win,” said State Senate Majority Leader Warren Anderson.

Democrats viewed things differently. “The Republican Party is scraping the top of the barrel,” said David Garth, a veteran Democratic political consultant who is an adviser to Cuomo.

Just before attending a dinner in New York Thursday, Cuomo was asked about his possible opponent. The governor said he believed it was another sign of White House desire to defeat him in November.

Buffalo Versus Beirut

“We’re attracting an awful lot of attention,” the governor said. “I guess we ought to be flattered.”

Cuomo was asked what was the chief difference between himself and Kissinger. “I know more about Buffalo than Beirut,” he replied. “Dr. Kissinger would be the other side of the coin.”

Other Democrats echoed that theme. “He’s used to the patrician life he’s been leading for the past 20 years,” charged William Cunningham, executive director of the state Democratic Party. “It’s a little different when you have to go to Buffalo on a cold morning and try to convince them to vote for you.”

“Henry Kissinger is a person who I not only respect and like, but who is a friend of mine,” added New York’s Democratic Mayor Edward I. Koch. “But when it comes to being governor, there is only one governor, Mario Cuomo. So why would Henry Kissinger, that nice man, waste his time?”

‘A 10% Chance He’ll Do It’

One well-connected Republican political consultant with whom Kissinger has discussed his possible candidacy told The Times, “I don’t think there’s better than a 10% chance that he’ll do it.”

He said that while Kissinger very deeply yearned for formal power, he had a “limited acquaintanceship” with the governor’s office, stemming from the time when Nelson Rockefeller ran New York state “like it was a personal dukedom, in between running for President.”

Kissinger met last Friday with GOP strategists, including Roger Ailes, the long-time Republican political consultant who worked both for Nixon and millionaire Lewis Lehrman, who narrowly lost to Cuomo in 1982. Also present was George Humphreys, a long-time Rockefeller adviser who is now a governmental relations consultant in Atlanta.

“I got no sense he was panting to run for governor,” Humphreys said. “Frankly, I got no sense of what he was doing other than giving it reasonable consideration.”

Should Be Well Funded

A Kissinger candidacy would have some immediate strengths. Republicans in New York state anticipate that he would have little difficulty raising money; he would have instant name recognition, celebrity status, a clear reputation for brilliance. He could put together a campaign organization. His relations with New York Republican conservatives are good.

But Kissinger has little knowledge of the state and its complex problems. “You would have reporters Vietnaming him and Watergating him with glee,” said a prominent Republican strategist in Albany, the state capital. “But he also is the man who helped Nixon open up China. He is a great shuttle diplomat. He’s got a lot of credentials . . . . Knowing Henry, he is running it up the flagpole.”

Times Political Writer Robert Shogan in Washington also contributed to this story.