The committee, New Yorkers for Proven Leadership, said the commercials signaled the beginning of a longer campaign to persuade voters across the political spectrum, including Democrats, to support Mr. Lhota in the November general election, assuming he wins the primary on Tuesday.
“We’re a group of New Yorkers who believe that Joe Lhota provides the best hope for the future of our city and who provides the kind of leadership we saw from Mayor Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg over the last 20 years,” Michael McKeon, a spokesman for the group, said.
Mr. McKeon, who advised former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign, is one of several people involved in the committee who have ties to Mr. Giuliani.
The emergence of the committee is an important development for Mr. Lhota, a former deputy mayor to Mr. Giuliani, especially as he plans a possible general election bid. Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats in New York City more than six to one, and Mr. Lhota is likely to need substantial financial support to mount a competitive campaign.
The advertising is also useful in the short term. Mr. Lhota’s main opponent in the Republican primary is John A. Catsimatidis, the billionaire owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain, who has invested heavily in television advertising.
Mr. McKeon said the committee was just beginning to collect donations, and had received $145,050 from Mr. Koch, a New York City resident who is known for his support of conservative causes, as well as $145,050 from his wife, Julia. The donations were reported by The New York Observer on Tuesday.
The committee’s first commercials are two 15-second advertisements that will run in tandem during the same commercial break. Both show a photograph of Mr. Lhota and Mr. Giuliani together.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/04/nyregion/pac-backed-by-billionaire-to-broadcast-ads-for-lhota.html?partner=rss&emc=rss