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Millionaire Republican Harry Wilson says he is seriously considering a run for governor, insisting his strong experience in the business world would help a reeling New York still battling the pandemic.
Wilson, the son of Greek immigrants who narrowly lost the 2010 race for state comptroller to Tom DiNapoli, confirmed to The Post on Sunday he’s mulling a run for the GOP nomination. Republican Party sources said he’s privately polling New Yorkers about a potential candidacy.
“I’m flattered by the many calls from Republican Party leaders and activists who have encouraged me to run for governor,” Wilson said. “I’m giving it very serious consideration and will make a decision soon.”
Wilson’s skill set could meet the moment, as New York is still grappling with the Omicron variant, and the state — particularly hard-hit New York City — have yet to recover the loss of tens of thousands of jobs that vanished during the two-year pandemic, backers note.
He is chairman and CEO of the MAEVA Group and is known as an expert in corporate restructurings and turnarounds.
Wilson personally knows the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, including the battered health-care sector. Last year, he stepped in to serve as temporary CEO of Genesis Health Care, the nation’s largest country’s largest skilled nursing provider, to help save the company.
At a time of partisan warfare and polarization, Wilson has shown he can work across the aisle for the good of the country, supporters say.
He served on former Democratic President Barack Obama’s Auto Restructuring Task Force after the recession of 2008. The task force was responsible for reviving General Motors and Chrysler.
Wilson also believes New York politicians have failed residents with rising crime and low-performing schools, sources familiar with his thinking said. He is a proponent of charter schools and co-authored a study showing they provide taxpayers a good bang for the buck.
A Wilson candidacy would immediately shake up the GOP primary.
Three candidates have been running for some time — Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin, the party’s establishment’s “presumptive nominee; former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Andrew Giuliani, the son of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani who served as a White House aide to former President Donald Trump.
The wealthy Wilson would not have difficulty raising money and could tap his own wallet to jump-start his candidacy. He spent part of his fortune to bankroll his campaign for comptroller.
Wilson, 50, was born and raised in upstate Johnstown. He earned degrees from Harvard University and Harvard Business School.
Early in his career, he worked for Wall Street giants including Goldman Sachs and the Blackstone Group.
Wilson, a Scarsdale resident, considered but ultimately declined to run for governor against then-incumbent Andrew Cuomo in 2018, citing family obligations. He has four daughters.
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