Outsiders take on Cuomo in New York

NEW YORK - The city's political season looks a lot spicier this year with the Democratic senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, being challenged by the heiress to a sofa fortune, and the long-time governor, Mario Cuomo, in a three-way race that includes the shock-jock radio host, Howard Stern, writes Peter Pringle.

Neither the sofa heiress, Bernadette Castro, nor Mr Stern are expected to unsettle the incumbents, just make the race more fun. However, Mr Cuomo is in trouble with his Republican opponent, George Pataki, a lawyer. Mr Stern is running as a libertarian.

Ms Castro is a first-time candidate who is best-known for appearing in television commercials for her family's sofas, starting at the age of four. She could not be more different from Mr Moynihan.

He has been in the US Senate since the late 1970s and is a Washington fixture with a long and respected record for seriously addressing domestic problems such as welfare, health care reform and the budget, as well as having a command of international affairs. He is a former UN ambassador.

In accepting the Republican nomination, Ms Castro, who is 49, charged that Mr Moynihan is an aloof Washington insider too divorced from the day-to-day problems of New Yorkers. 'I may not be an expert in the Federal government yet, but I guarantee you I know more about the real world than Daniel Patrick Moynihan,' she said. 'There's nothing more real than retail.' Mr Cuomo is facing a tough fight against Mr Pataki, who is calling for deep tax cuts, reduced government spending and the reintroduction of the death penalty, a move Mr Cuomo has strongly resisted.

(Photograph omitted)