Well-known New York political operative, Michael Caputo has been calling Republican county leaders around the state on Donald Trump’s behalf in an attempt to keep them from committing to other candidates, claiming Trump was “seriously considering” a run and would make a decision “by the end of January,” Capital New York reports.

“He asked chairpersons not to commit today to any one candidate before then,” said Monroe County Republican chairman Bill Reilich. “I feel good as a Republican that we’ve got two strong, viable candidates. … I stated that although I’m not committed, it was certainly reasonable for me to not commit prematurely to any one candidate.”

Caputo confirmed he made the calls, but deferred further comment to Michael Cohen, a top Trump aide.

Trump met earlier this month with Caputo and a group of freshman Republican legislators—a meeting that Capital reported was brokered by Cohen to generate interest in a Trump candidacy.

Republican state chairman Ed Cox has been talking up Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino as the G.O.P. candidate, since his demand that Trump prove his interest by putting his assets in a blind trust was not fulfilled.

But not everyone in Donald Trump’s inner circle thinks he should make a run for New York governor. Roger Stone, one of Trump’s longtime advisers, told TPM last week that the real estate mogul needs to quit flirting with the race.

“This is the bluest of blue states. It’s an uphill climb,” said Stone, who chaired Trump’s presidential exploratory committee in 2000 and worked as a strategist on the aborted White House bid last year.

Stone offered some tough talk to his longtime friend in light of Trump’s past history of toying with campaigns.

“I said, ‘Donald, you’ve been back to this well so many times,'” said Stone. “‘If you’re going to do it, you have to do it. You keep doing the big tease.'”

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)