Several polling organizations are already releasing polling results for the 2002 gubernatorial election. Measuring unformed public opinion so long before the voting is meaningless (incumbent ahead, challengers within theoretical striking distance. Big deal).

And people all over the state are cringing, because this campaign is going to be too long and too expensive.

American elections have a bad reputation. In both the recent Canadian and Israeli elections, local commentators derided what they called the "Americanization" for some of the campaigns, citing increased personal attacks and insipid advertising that stressed personalities rather than issues. The Canadian and Israeli elections also had one superior characteristic: Their campaigns lasted about five weeks and then everyone voted.

In New York, we now have 800-pound gorilla elections. Pataki, McCall, Cuomo and no one else need apply. Because only political gorillas can raise the scores of millions of dollars. Only political gorillas can keep up the begging, chasing, crawling for dollars for over 20 months.

There's just so much television and radio time a candidate can purchase in a New York campaign. Above $2 million for media a week, you start to reach the saturation point. In the last Senate campaign, there were ads for candidates of both parties on the air nearly a year before Election Day.

In New York, statewide campaigns used to traditionally kick off on Oct. 1. State conventions to choose candidates were rarely held before the third week of September. Even wealthy, famous candidates saw little point in straining voter interest for much longer. Nelson Rockefeller became a candidate for governor in July of 1958; Robert Kennedy became a candidate for senator in August of 1964. Primaries were re-instituted in 1968, and after six years they were shifted from the spring to September in part to save campaign costs.

The very competent Carl McCall must now become a full-time fund raiser and a part-time comptroller. Even worse, whatever he does or says, as comptroller will be seen as political actions. And when trying to raise more than a quarter of a million dollars each and every week, every public utterance must be calculated not to offend or cause unwanted controversy.

It will be a long time before we see serious public financing of campaigns in this state, or required free airtime for candidates. But it may be possible to shorten the length of election campaigns. Reducing the time that fund raising committees can operate and media purchases can be made would help. Moving the state designating conventions back to six weeks before primary day would help (or better yet, ban these conventions as they were once banned in New York, so that independent Democrats and Republicans run easier in the primaries). Smart campaigns would focus their message and stake out clearer ground on issues.

At least we wouldn't lose half the public's interest six months before Election Day, which would be a huge improvement.