Eliot Spitzer, Rising Democratic Star and Top Contender for NY Governor

"People are fed up with adware and spyware" said New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in May 2005, referring to a suit his office filed against InterMix, Inc. He accused the company of secretly installing software that causes nuisance pop-up ads, and can slow and crash personal computers. Spitzer calls such programs "fraudulent" and "discouraging to e-commerce."

Last week, Spitzer's office announced settlement with InterMix, Inc, which will pay $7.5 million to New York state, and will permanently cease distributing unwanted software programs.

A typical ending to another consumer-protection investigation by the crusading Eliot Spitzer, twice elected as New York's Attorney General, an aggressive take-no-prisoners defender against fraud and corruption, environmental laxities, civil rights and public safety.

He's been called a do-gooder, the Duddly DoRight of New York state, a visionary leader. New Mexico Governor and former UN Ambassador Bill Richardson recently called him the "future of the (Democratic) party."

Detractors dub Spitzer the "judge, jury and executioner" of Wall Street. And...here's my favorite....one critic sarcastically named him "Howard Dean but without the charm."

Eliot Spitzer would like to be called Governor of New York in 2006. And judging by recent poll numbers, he has an excellent chance of being elected to that position. In early June polls reported at DailyKos, Spitzer leads his closest opponent, Governor Pataki, by 13 % statewide.

Did you know that this athletic father of 3 teenage daughters is the grandson of Austrian immigrants? And that he hates to lose at anything, even board games? Or that retired General Wesley Clark, 2004 presidential aspirant, strongly considered Spitzer to be his vice-presidential running mate?

To acquaint you with rising Democratic star Spitzer, the frontrunner for the 2006 New York gubernatorial race, I've written a Profile of Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York.