Randy Daniels
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Randy Daniels is the former Secretary of State of New York. Daniels was appointed Secretary of State by Governor George Pataki on April 12, 2001. He stepped down from the Cabinet post in 2005 in order to pursue his campaign for Governor of New York.
Daniels holds a bachelor's degree in government and journalism from Southern Illinois University. He is a former journalist and public relations professional. Daniels began his career as a Democrat, but changed his party registration to Republican in 2002. He was considered a possible running mate for Pataki in 2002 for lieutenant governor.
He is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York. Prior to becoming Secretary of State, Daniels was a Deputy Commissioner and Senior Vice President in the Empire State Development Corporation, which is the state's Department of Economic Development. He is a longtime broadcast journalist, who worked for CBS News. Secretary Daniels first career was a war correspondent for CBS News throughout the 1970s. He covered eight wars in the Middle East including covering the Iran Hostage Crisis. In addition he worked in communications for the Prime Minister of the Bahamas. He was briefly the Deputy Mayor of New York City under former Mayor David Dinkins.
Daniels was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of New York in 2006. He was considered the most articulate speaker in the race and gained support from party leaders in Central New York, particularly in Syracuse. Daniels also won support from leaders of the state's Conservative Party. Secretary Daniels is considered by many to be the most conservative candidate in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, and if successful would have been the first black governor in the history of the state of New York.
On April 9, 2006 it was reported that Daniels would end his campaign the next day and endorse former Assembly Minority Leader John Faso for governor. He has denied that he is seeking to be Faso's running mate for lieutenant governor. Faso later choose Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef as his running mate. Daniels is considered a possible candidate in the future for Mayor of New York City, the State Senate, Congress or Republican State Chairman.
| Preceded by Alexander Treadwell |
Secretary of State of New York 2001 – 2005 |
Succeeded by Frank Milano (acting) |
