New York, NY —

Governor Pataki has a busy day stumping around the state for Republican candidates today. This is part of a massive fundraising effort by the governor for the GOP nationwide, which also includes a stop in the key early-caucus state of Iowa next week. All this is prompting speculation that he's preparing a run for national office in 2008. At the same time, Pataki is struggling to stamp out some political fires, including a dispute between the architects designing the Freedom Tower that could delay the World Trade Center rebuilding project.