Harry J. Wilson

HARRY WILSON

REPUBLICAN

BACKGROUND: Wilson, 50, of Scarsdale, is a Wall Street trader and former hedge fund manager who specialized in restructuring businesses. He was a top official in the U.S. Treasury Department under former Democratic President Barack Obama, who named Wilson to the Auto Industry Task Force that helped the American auto industry after the 2009 recession. In 2010, Wilson ran for state Comptroller, losing to Democratic Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. He was born in upstate Johnstown and received degrees in government and a master’s in business administration from Harvard University.

ISSUES: Wilson said he will use his skills in rescuing companies “to turn around New York.” He said he will put more police on the streets and will repeal every tax increase over the past decade. He said he will use the extraordinary power of the governor to impose his tax cuts and policies and would withhold legislators' paychecks if necessary. He also said he would create a tough ethics plan and institute term limits for all elected officials. He said he’d use the governor’s office to take a direct role in improving schools. Wilson is more moderate than his Republican primary opponents and supports abortion rights. He also supports an independent redistricting process that takes politicians out of the process of redrawing election district lines that parties in power can now use to hold power. Wilson said that if a "liberal prosecutor" refuses to prosecute some laws he will remove them from office.