GOP insider declares former NY governor winning the party's nomination 'would be like a monkey flying out of a unicorn's a--'
A Florida-based Republican strategist, Rick Wilson, was especially brutal when asked for his opinion on Pataki's odds by The Washington Post.
If Pataki were to win, Wilson said, "Basically, it would be like a monkey flying out of a unicorn's a--."
The field of Republican candidates could easily exceed 16 notable contenders - and many of those in the top-tier are sitting governors and senators. Accordingly, lower-profile candidates like Pataki face a number of hurdles to getting the fundraising, name recognition, and other support they'll need to win.
A Pataki aide didn't immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider, but the former New York governor has repeatedly insisted he fully intends to reach the White House. And it's clear Pataki has a strategy that involves focusing on New Hampshire, an influential early primary state that's close to his home base in New York.
In a Thursday interview with Fox News, Pataki dismissed polls showing him a distant long shot.
"It reminds me so much of when I ran for governor of New York the first time. No one had heard of me. I was from this small town: Peekskill, New York. If someone had taken a poll, I would have been at zero. But I knew I had the right ideas, the right vision, and I certainly enjoy meeting people," he said. "The polls have never bothered me."