As has been widely reported this morning, GOP guebrnatorial hopeful Carl Paladino is poised to file 28,000 singatures to create an independent Taxpayers line – close to twice the 15,000 threshold.

(NOTE: It takes a minimum of 15,000 names to get on the ballot – the deadline for independent petitions is Aug. 17, I believe. It requires 50,000 votes for a gubernatorial candidate to create a new party that gets automatic ballotn status for the next four years).

However, Paladino’s campaign still won’t commit definitively that the Buffalo businessman will run on the new line in the November general election if he loses the GOP primary to the party’s designee, Rick Lazio.

The most Paladino’s campaign manager Michael Caputo would say is:

“Carl will preserve his options with the Taxpayers Party until after the primary, just like Rick Lazio is preserving his options with the Conservative Party until after the primary.”

Of course, after the primary is over it will be far too late for anyone to get off a ballot line unless they die, move out of the state or run for a judgeship.

Paladino caused considerable consternation among his Tea Party supporters – particularly Rus Thompson, a Western NY activist who is hoping to run for state comptroller on the Taxpayers line – when he said on NY1′s “Inside City Hall” that he would not campaign on his independent line if he lost the primary to Lazio.

Paladino explained he dislikes AG Andrew Cuomo so much that he will do anything to avoid being a spolier and maximize the GOP’s chances of blocking the Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner from winning the election.

The Paladino campaign promptly did an about-face with the “preserve his options” line.

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