Is Rob Astorino ‘Running’ For Governor Of New York? At This Point He’s ‘Jogging’

Will Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino run as the GOP candidate for New York Governor against incumbent Democrat Andrew Cuomo?

When asked directly is he was 'running', Astorino joked at this point, he's 'jogging'. He added that he's 'certainly leaning toward' seeking the Republican nomination for governor but said he would make his decision public by the end of February.

Astorino joined WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning on Monday to talk about New York's business climate as one of central New York's key manufacturers, Remington Arms, is set to announce it will open a new plant in Alabama, creating some 2,000 jobs.

There is speculation that this is a partial expansion and a partial relocation of some of the jobs currently at the plant in Ilion, according to this Fox Nation blog at Foxnews.com:

The company is viewing the move into Alabama as an expansion, but it will likely impact their Ilion, NY plant as well. The New York facility currently employees around 1,200 people. It is expected to stay open, but with a reduced workforce.

UPDATE: Following the announcement of Remington's expansion into Alabama, the company's chief executive officer told AL.com that the SAFE Act was not the reason for expanding outside of New York, and the Ilion plant would not lose jobs because of Monday's announcement:

"We're all disappointed by the SAFE Act," Remington CEO George Kollitides told Huntsville reporters this afternoon. "Frankly, we think it's unconstitutional, but that was not a driving decision maker for us. ... This is really an expansion project for us and Huntsville provided us the best opportunities for expansion. We're not taking jobs out of New York."

Astorino said this potential reduction of the workforce was evidence that Cuomo's 'New York is Open for Business' campaign is a mere slogan.

Remington's move to make an investment in Alabama rather than Ilion is proof that New York is not open for business, he said.

''We are ranked is 50th, dead last, in the United State for business climate. These are 2,000 jobs that are not coming to New York,'' Astorino said.

Full interview: