New York Senate 1970; John Lindsay (R) James Buckley (C) Richard Ottinger (D)

[NewYorkExpress]

Who wins this matchup... and how much support would Lindsay leech from Ottinger?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Do you think nominating the worst mayor in the history of the City of New York is going to help the Republicans' chances?

[MATTROSE94]

I would probably vote for either Ottinger or Buckley, as John Lindsay is a very weak candidate and was not an effective mayor at all.

[johnpressman]

I worked for James Buckley's successful campaign for US Senator from NY in 1970.  At that time, John Lindsay was a pariah in New York.  His reelection in 1969 was only made possible by the disastrous candidacy of the Democratic candidate Mario Proccacino, who, as the only conservative in the Democratic primary, won with 32% of the vote.  Mario self destructed, crying repeatedly in front of the TV cameras as well as making numerous slips during speeches "my heart is as black as yours" or, speaking of his running mate "He grows on you like cancer".  Proccacino also coined the phrase "limosine liberals" during that campaign.  The GOP candidate, John Marchi, ran a respectable, although low key and underfunded campaign, finished third.

After this election, the rules were changed to allow a run off if no candidate for NYC Mayor received less than 40% of the vote.

Ottinger, on the other hand, was a political lightweight who ran a spectacular and very well funded media campaign to win the Democratic nomination in a crowded field.  The general campaign exposed him as a lightweight with little to offer.  Goodel, on the other hand, was a moderate upstate Republican with a slim legislative record who was a pointed by GOP governor Rockefeller to fill Robert Kennedy's Senate seat after he was assassinated in June 1968.