Primary elections: Seven states to watch

6. New York

Tim Roske/AP
Republican candidate for New York governor Carl Paladino visits the Altamont Fair on Aug. 20. Paladino is in a dead heat with Rick Lazio.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is unchallenged for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

But Republican primary voters are choosing between former Rep. Rick Lazio, backed by GOP officials, and Carl Paladino, a wealthy developer who campaigned with support from tea party activists.

After a nasty summer campaign between Lazio and Paladino – bringing national headlines for both Republicans' opposition to a proposed mosque a couple blocks from ground zero – the race is now a dead heat, according to a Siena College poll released Saturday.

Polls leading to that point show Paladino riding the momentum just as he's unleashed hundreds of thousands of dollars in TV and radio ads that Lazio's underfunded campaign can't match.

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