Carl P. Paladino all but declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor Wednesday, promising to spend up to $10 million of his own money to fuel his campaign and “make the big shots out of New York face up to the people.”

While the Buffalo developer has hinted for weeks at running, he has still not made any formal declaration. But he has registered a “Paladino for the People” campaign fund with the state Board of Elections and is putting together a professional campaign staff.

While former Rep. Rick Lazio of Suffolk County appears to have locked up party support, he has failed to generate any major fundraising success — reporting only about $637,000 on hand in January. As a result, a Paladino effort backed by $10 million would instantly position him as a major figure in the race for governor.

“I’ve made a lot of money in my career, my family is taken care of, and I’m willing to spend up to $10 million on this,” Paladino said. “I want to do this as a public service, and if this is what it takes to do the best I can for my community, that makes all the difference.”

The 63-year-old attorney appears to be already in campaign mode, firing a warning shot earlier this week in a letter to state Republican Chairman Edward F. Cox. He criticized Cox for backing Lazio while also reportedly flirting with Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat, as a candidate for governor. “ ‘I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore,’ ” Paladino told Cox, using the catchphrase from the 1976 film “Network.”

“But that doesn’t begin to define my motivation. And with today’s mess, simply throwing open the window and yelling into the street is not enough.”

Paladino’s movement to the verge of a formal declaration of candidacy robbed some attention from former three-term Gov. George E. Pataki’s endorsement of Lazio on Wednesday, cementing a strong bond between the two politicians formed during Lazio’s unsuccessful candidacy against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Senate in 2000. Pataki told The Buffalo News in a telephone interview that Lazio is “the right person at the right time.”

“He understands New York State and will bring a fresh approach to Albany,” Pataki said. “And God knows that after the last 3z years, we need that.

“You put it all together, and I think you have a winning candidate who can govern.”

Lazio also picked up the endorsement of three former New York State congressmen Wednesday, including Republican Amo Houghton of Corning, who was an enthusiastic Lazio supporter even when it appeared that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani would run against Clinton in 2000.

Paladino acknowledged Wednesday that Lazio has garnered support from the party and other members of the state’s GOP establishment. “The messengers all came to me to tell me they don’t want me to do this, because they’re all part of the same thing,” he said.

“And Pataki? Are you kidding me? He can vote for Lazio if he wants to.”

Paladino’s campaign-in-waiting said that it received no reply to his letter to Cox. But he has told the chairman that he will bypass the Republican State Convention slated for Manhattan in May and hire workers to circulate petitions to qualify for the ballot. He said he also expects to form an independent “Tea Party” line to attract non-Republican voters.

Paladino on Wednesday began circulating a video clip by e-mail depicting a voter and a barber discussing the race and Paladino’s attributes. He said he expects he will make extensive use of the Internet to raise money beyond what he has personally committed.

Pataki said nobody should dismiss Lazio’s ability to raise money as he becomes “better known.” He pointed out his own first gubernatorial campaign in 1994 had less money at a later date in the election year, and he was still able to win.

The former governor also did not dismiss Paladino’s right to participate in a Republican primary for governor. Pataki said, “I’m a great believer in competition.”