The Nassau County executive, Thomas Suozzi, a presumed gubernatorial candidate, pitched himself to a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders as a results-oriented outsider who cuts through red tape and is not politically beholden to anyone.

Yesterday’s breakfast in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn was the first stop on what Mr. Suozzi, a maverick Democrat who is not expected to have much establishment backing, is calling his “New York: A United State” tour. Over tuna salad and smoked salmon, he recounted how he turned around Nassau County’s finances and took on power brokers in Albany.

In front of a group of about 40 community leaders, he hit on everything from school vouchers to affordable housing and even managed to sprinkle in a few Yiddish and Russian phrases.

“Every politician is going to say they’re against waste, fraud, and abuse,” he said. “The difference is, I can do it because I have done it. I’ve taken a failed municipality and I’ve turned it around. I want to do the same thing for the sate.”

While Mr. Suozzi has previously taken aim at state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, a fellow Democrat, the boyish looking 43-year-old county executive was subdued in referring to his potential primary opponent yesterday.

When asked after the breakfast to respond to a guest who called Mr. Spitzer arrogant, Mr. Suozzi did not take the bait. The previous harsh words he had for Mr. Spitzer “may have been in an undisciplined moment,” he joked.

“I’ve got nothing bad to say about Eliot Spitzer,” Mr. Suozzi told reporters. “He deserves the reputation he enjoys.”

Mr. Spitzer has high name recognition and is popular among many, who view him as the Democratic Party’s chance at recapturing Albany.

Mr. Suozzi said ruling out tax hikes entirely is “irresponsible,” but that he has no plans to do so if elected. He talked about skyrocketing local taxes, which he attributed to underfunded state-mandated programs, and said that if elected he would work to cut Medicaid expenses. Such savings could be used to pay more education costs and for other programs, he said.

Although Mr. Suozzi said he has not decided whether to run, all signs indicate he will. Last week he formed a fund-raising committee and yesterday, after the breakfast, he visited a Brooklyn school for autistic children and held private meetings in the borough to talk about his campaign.

He acknowledged that a Democratic primary against Mr. Spitzer – who already has amassed more than $19 million – would be difficult, but said in the coming weeks he will gauge his support and decide what to do.

Mr. Suozzi has raised $1.7 million since forming his fund-raising committee last week. Between that and the $3.3 million he has left over from his last race, he has about $5 million in the bank and political analysts are predicting that money will be flowing in from those who Mr. Spitzer has angered by taking aim at Wall Street.

Although Mr. Spitzer is viewed as a darling by some in the party and is Jewish himself, yesterday’s crowd was friendly to Mr. Suozzi. Several said the Jewish community in Brooklyn is very much in play for the election.

Mr. Suozzi said he wants his message to resonate with all groups and that competition will force everyone in the race to come up with better ideas.