When athletes are acquired by New York teams, the fans and pundits always question how they'll stand up in the tough New York spotlight. Sports is a lot like politics in many ways, and it looks like upstate Republican Carl Paladino is getting the full heat of that Manhattan media grilling.
After an encounter with the New York Post, Paladino also was the target of a New York Times piece jabbing at his self-professed "anger" and "outrage."
Paladino is a New Yorker through and through, but he's from Buffalo, which is a long way from Manhattan, and is demographically, economically, and politically closer to Cleveland or Pittsburgh. It's clear that if Paladino is going to make this race truly competitive, downstate is going to be his biggest challenge.
The map below from My Politikal Blog shows the Republican primary for governor between Paladino and ex-Rep. Rick Lazio. As you can see, Lazio only won Suffolk, Nassau, the Five Boroughs, Westchester, and Putnam. Paladino won everywhere else, stronger nearer to the Thruway and weaker in the Southern Tier and Adirondacks.
It's not to say Paladino can't get traction downstate -- his distance from the Metroliner class is proving to be an asset -- but Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't get the same airtime on WFAN as Jets QB Mark Sanchez, and the Sabres don't draw the same crowds as the Rangers. Paladino might want to keep that in mind if he wants to win the entire Empire State.
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