State GOP Chairman Ed Cox today confirmed to NY1′s Josh Robin that the mysterious fourth candidate for governor of which he has been speaking is indeed M. Myers Mermel, the Westchester businessman who has been traveling the state to build support for an LG run.

mermel

“I understand that there’s going be one other individual who is considering that and mentioned to me he would get into the race,” Cox told Robin at Hofstra’s “Renew New York” event on Long Island earlier today.

Robin later confirmed both through the chairman himself and state GOP spokesman Alex Carey that Cox was indeed speaking of Mermel, who has so far refused to comment about his plans.

Cox, who not only drafted Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy into the race and convinced him to switch parties, but also urged GOP leaders to support him, also told Robin he’s now “not sure that coalescing around one candidate is the best way to do it.”

“Maybe a primary going forward where the candidates are contending with what’s best for the people of New York State throughout the summer may be the best way to go for the Republican Party,” the chairman added.

Oddly, shortly after Robin sent me these quotes, I received a call from Carey in response to my post earlier about Cox approaching ESDC Chairman Dennis Mullen several weeks ago to see if he wanted to run for governor.

Carey insisted it was Mullen who approached Cox at the request of Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, not the other way around. He insisted Mullen had expressed an interest in running, but then never followed up.

Carey also stressed that Cox remains 100 percent supportive of Levy’s candidacy.

Meanwhile, during his chat with Robin, Cox bristled at the suggestions that the GOP and its ever-growing field of candidates (now there are primaries for every statewide office but state comptroller) is in disarray, insisting:

“The disarray that you say in the Republican Party is actually a party that is getting ready to govern New York State and to govern it the way the people of New York State deserve to be governed.”

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