Pataki: I like Hoffman, but...

Former Gov. George E. Pataki shook up last fall’s special election in the 23rd Congressional District when he shunned his party’s candidate, Dierdre K. Scozzafava, and endorsed Conservative Party candidate Douglas L. Hoffman instead.

Ms. Scozzafava, stunned by the snub, suspended her campaign two days later.

Mr. Hoffman, who finished second on Election Day, has officially launched a second bid for the office. But this time, Mr. Pataki’s backing is not guaranteed.

“I do like Doug,” the former governor said in a phone interview Wednesday from Manhattan. “I was proud to campaign for him. At this point, I’m not endorsing anybody in that race.”

The Republican primary in the 23rd Congressional District could feature up to four candidates. Mr. Hoffman and Watertown businessman Matthew A. Doheny are in. State Assemblyman William A. Barclay, Pulaski, and Franklin County Legislator Paul A. Maroun, Tupper Lake, are still considering a run.

Mr. Pataki said he’s going to review the backgrounds and positions of all candidates before making his pick, a strategy he said he employed before picking Republican Rick Lazio as his favorite candidate for state governor Wednesday.

“Rick is the right person to lead this state and restore public confidence in Albany,” the former governor said. “As people get to know him and hear his views, they’ll see he’s the right person to lead us for the next four years.”

Mr. Pataki said he liked Mr. Lazio because of his fiscally conservative platform, specifically citing the candidate’s plan to ensure property taxes are never more than 2.5 percent of a property’s assessed value.

The former governor, who spent 22 years in state government before stepping down in 2006, said he also liked that Mr. Lazio was not “an Albany insider” who could bring a fresh perspective to fixing the state’s deficit and creating jobs.