D'Amato: Astorino Won't 'Stick His Head In A Sausage Grinder'

Former U.S. Sen. Al D’Amato doubts County Executive Rob Astorino will run against popular Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014, if only because the campaign would be tough and apparently, painful.

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t think he wants to stick his head in a sausage grinder,” D’Amato told reporters this morning outside the Conservative Party Political Action Conference in Colonie.

D’Amato said Astorino is doing a good job in Westchester County, but he also singled out praise for Cuomo as well.

“I think he’s going after the sacred cows,” he said.

But given the $14 million in campaign cash Cuomo has on hand and his seemingly never-ending well of popularity, any Republican would face an uphill battle it would seem, at least more than two years away from the election.

D’Amato gave a well received speech before the conference, detailing his first campaign against Sen. Jacob Javits and the deployment of his mother in the now-famous “Mama D’Amato” ads.

D’Amato, now a registered lobbyist at the federal and state level, reiterated his criticism of ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich, saying that while the GOP presidential candidate is smart and a good debater, he faced too many questions for his self-described work as a well-paid “historian” for Freddie Mac.

“If you were lobbying and claim you were a historian, you broke the law,” D’Amato said.

D’Amato added that he wished Mitt Romney “had more passion,” but the former Massachusetts governor would withstand scrutiny better than Gingrich.

“Understand one thing about the Obama campaign, they are brilliant political strategists,” he said.

Speaking with reporters after the largely off-the-cuff speech, D’Amato said he doubted the reports that GOP officials planned to send uncommitted delegates to the party’s national convention should Gingrich win Florida.

“I think that’s just a fantasy right now,” he said.