Pataki, Urging GOP Unity, Backs Giuliani’s Senate Bid

NEW YORK — In a move that could defuse a nasty primary fight, Gov. George Pataki endorsed Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani for the Senate on Friday and asked Rep. Rick Lazio to defer his decision on whether to enter the race.

“In order to win, the Republican Party must be unified behind one strong candidate. I believe that Rudy Giuliani has earned the right to be that candidate,” Pataki said.

Meanwhile, the expected Democratic nominee, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, met with the leader of the state’s Independence Party to explore the possibility of getting its endorsement.

Giuliani, who has had a contentious relationship with the governor, was noticeably absent from Pataki’s news conference. But he issued a statement saying, “I very much appreciate Gov. George Pataki’s strong words of support.”

A GOP primary fight between Giuliani and Lazio could deplete GOP funds and leave the winner vulnerable to Hillary Clinton.

Similarly, a unified Republican Party could hurt Hillary Clinton. The first lady, exploring a Senate bid, is not expected to have any opposition for the Democratic nomination.

“What the Republicans do or don’t do is up to them. Mrs. Clinton is going to continue focusing on issues and listening to New Yorkers,” said Howard Wolfson, spokesman for Clinton’s exploratory committee.

Giuliani, who has not yet announced whether he will run, also got the endorsement Friday of former Sen. Alfonse M. D’Amato, a Republican. Like Pataki, D’Amato also has been at odds with Giuliani.

Pataki’s backing came in a brief statement in which he saved his most glowing words for Lazio.

“Rick Lazio is an outstanding congressman who is a rising star in our party. . . . Rick Lazio would be a very strong candidate,” Pataki said. “Nevertheless, I have asked Congressman Lazio to defer his announcement and await the mayor’s decision.”

Lazio, who could not immediately be reached for comment Friday, has said he would not run if Pataki asked him to bow out of the race.

Asked if he held any lingering resentment toward Giuliani, who had endorsed Mario M. Cuomo for governor over Pataki, the governor said, “Obviously it was a disappointment, but you can’t look backward. You have to look forward.”

Giuliani is widely expected to run for the Senate, as is Hillary Clinton, who has been traveling the state in an effort to overcome the “carpetbagger” charge leveled against her.

Campaigning in Rochester, Clinton said her planned summer-long “listening tour” of New York could extend well into the fall.

She called for a common standard for coverage of political candidates that does not invade their privacy.

“I don’t think it serves our nation or our political process well for people to have every shred of privacy taken away from them,” she said. “I don’t think that’s good, and I’m speaking as someone who’s been through it, so I have some experience in that regard.”

Hillary Clinton met privately for half an hour with Rochester businessman B. Thomas Golisano, leader of the Ross Perot-inspired Independence Party in New York.