NEW YORK, NY December 08, 2005 —While Republicans squabble over their choice of candidates for statewide office, 1,300 Democrats joined together last night to raise five million dollars for the gubernatorial campaign of Eliot Spitzer. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein has more.

REPORTER: Shut out of the statehouse for 12 years and city hall for sixteen, the Spitzer campiagn is trying to get democrats to coalesce early around Spitzer's candidacy. In front of a packed ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel last night, Spitzer, while trying not to offend one of his guests, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, said Albany isn't working.

SPITZER: We do not have a government that is accounatable, we do not have a governemnt that is transparant, we have a government that is all about avoidance behaviour rather than making tough decisions.

REPORTER: The spitzer campaign has been sending out a steady drumbeat of press releases touting early endorsements. But despite their an attempt to show a united front, Spitzer does likely face one primary opponent. Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi has made it clear that he also intends to seek the Democratic nomination. For WNYC, I'm Andrea Bernstein.