NEW YORK —

NEW YORK — A fractured state Republican Party attempts to come together thutoday

behind newly endorsed candidate for governor Rick Lazio, even though a rare and bruising

primary appears to lie ahead.

Meeting at a raucous state convention in Manhattan that was marked by plenty of shouting

and chanting, the party rejected Democrat-turned-Republican Steve Levy, the Suffolk County

executive. He failed to gain the 50 percent needed for him to run on the GOP line while still

technically a Democrat.

Tuesday's vote also spelled failure for Buffalo's Carl P. Paladino, the maverick developer

and attorney who has vowed to spend up to $10 million of his own money in the campaign. He is

now expected to petition his way onto the ballot, setting up the first Republican

gubernatorial primary since George E. Pataki defeated Richard Rosenbaum in 1994.

Myers M. Mermel, a Manhattan real estate magnate, also failed to qualify for the ballot.

And in one other vote Wednesday, the party endorsed Staten Island District Attorney Daniel

M. Donovan for attorney general. He gained 60 percent of the vote.

While Onondaga County Comptroller Robert E. Antonacci failed to get the party endorsement,

his 40 percent proved more than enough to qualify for the ballot. But he said he would step

aside in favor of Donovan "because it is not in our party's best interest to have a primary

for attorney general."

The party turns its attention thutoday to selecting from among three potential challengers

to Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand and is also expected to rally behind Lazio's choice for

lieutenant governor, Chautauqua County Executive Gregory J. Edwards.

Amid indications that some Lazio supporters may want to hold State GOP Chairman Edward F.

Cox accountable for his support of Levy (a Democrat just a few months ago), Lazio said late

Wednesday he would leave Cox's fate to party leaders. As he has for weeks, he said his focus

is on the November general election, even though Paladino aims for the primary race with far

more in his campaign coffers than Lazio.

"I don't have any concern about that," the former Long Island congressman told reporters.

"I am the Republican designee for governor and the Conservative designee for governor. That

will spell the difference in November."

Lazio also delivered a spirited speech to the convention that addressed head-on the idea

that he embarks on a seemingly impossible quest against Democratic nominee Andrew M. Cuomo,

the attorney general.

"There are some who say winning is too tough and Andrew Cuomo is too invincible," he said.

"You know what I say to that? Bring him on."

Some Lazio supporters privately remain aghast at Cox's support for a primary involving

Levy, pointing out that state GOP chairmen have traditionally aimed for unity. They also say

the uncertainity of the situation inflicted a major crimp into Lazio's fundraising.

Cox told reporters he was happy he had backed Levy, was planning to continue as chairman

and added he was confident Levy would not follow through on hints that he may run as a

third-party candidate.

Earlier, Levy left open that possibility but said he would arrive at no decision for a few

days. He said his late entry into a race where Lazio has been active for more than a year cost

him in the end.

Levy said he will now determine his next move based on whether he is satisfied that Lazio

and company adopt his ideas on controlling spending and lowering taxes.

"If I'm not, I'm ready to throw my hat in the ring," Levy said. "If they are, I'll be a

very happy county executive."

Paladino, as expected, received only about 8 percent of the vote here, mostly from Erie

County with full support in Orleans County and some from Genesee. He failed in a bid to

address the convention before the vote but circumvented the process by nominating himself for

governor.

He blasted the party's exclusion of him from the speaking process as "dysfunctional,

ridiculous and flat-out wrong." He then went on to reiterate many of his campaign themes,

continued his familiar attack on Cuomo by questioning his "new Democrat" label and invoked his

support from the "tea party" movement. "A new Democrat is just an old Democrat who drove by a

tea party protest and realized they were pointing at him," he said.

Paladino's support was not overwhelming in Western New York, either, with many Republicans

still scared off by the revelation earlier this year that he forwarded racist and pornographic

e-mails.

Lazio enjoyed broad support in Western New York from Chautauqua, Niagara and Wyoming

counties. Levy won in Allegany, Cattaraugus and part of Genesee.

Paladino's campaign never expected to qualify for the GOP ballot at the convention, and he

now expects to wage an "outsider" campaign that will probably aim at "party bosses."

Donovan, meanwhile, emerges as the GOP's single candidate for attorney general, while five

Democrats now prepare to slug it out in a September primary. And he said he didn't care who

emerges from that battle.

"My campaign has put together a plan to win regardless of who our opponent is," he said,

adding that his victories on Staten Island occurred despite a 5-to-3 Democratic enrollment

edge — almost exactly the Democratic enrollment advantage statewide.

The main focus of thutoday's session will be finding a candidate to oppose Gillibrand, who

polls show is still unrecognized by many New York voters but who has been consolidating

political and financial support for more than a year.

The contestants are David R. Malpass, a former deputy Cabinet secretary in the Reagan and

first Bush administrations; Joseph J. DioGuardi, a former Westchester congressman; and Bruce

A. Blakeman, former presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature, who ran unsuccessfully

for state comptroller in 1998.

Blakeman claims the most support among state committee members, but Malpass and DioGuardi

also have plenty of backers. DioGuardi also received Conservative support last week.