Three schools of thought have emerged within state Republican circles over the next Republican candidate for governor. Some think he or she should be wealthy. Others think he or she should be famous. The presumptive Democratic nominee, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, is both rich and famous. If the Republicans have a chance, the thinking goes, their candidate has to be one, the other, or both. Still others say the money will be there regardless of who runs.

That’s assuming, of course, that Governor Pataki decides not to run again. As de facto party leader, Mr. Pataki has the right of first refusal, and party officials say the governor is their man until he takes himself out. Yet because Mr. Pataki has been less than discreet about his national ambitions, insiders say, it would be more surprising if he decides to run again than if he does not. The governor turns 60 in June. He may want to try rich and famous while he can.

Mr. Pataki said last week he wants to be involved in the “national debate” in 2008. Two days later, he flew to California to address an organization that is vetting Republican candidates for president. Mr. Pataki has raised $480,000 since late January for his Virginia based political action committee. The committee’s largest individual donor, Jane Clark, said through a spokesman that she signed a $50,000 check “to support Governor Pataki’s leadership.”

The governor could be keeping his options open. An associate described Mr. Pataki as “a killer at heart politically,” implying that he could be drawn into another statewide race simply because the odds are against him. Mr. Spitzer, who announced his candidacy in early December, led Mr. Pataki in one recent poll by nearly 25%. “He’s kind of counterintuitive,” the associate said. “When everyone thinks he’s going nowhere, that’s when he becomes competitive.”

If Mr. Pataki is indeed capable of pulling off a “Jekyll and Hyde”-like transformation so ferocious as to overcome record-low poll numbers and the formidable Mr. Spitzer, a race between the men could be worthwhile if only for the performance. But such an impulse raises an important question as to what motivates politicians in the first place. Plato suggested the ideal state would never exist because those best-suited to order it are least likely to want the job. Do New Yorkers want someone animated only by a desire to win?

Maybe. At a Republican dinner attended by 500 in Saratoga Springs Friday night, the highest praise organizers had for the featured speaker, the Westchester County district attorney, Jeanine Pirro, was their belief that she was “going places.” Rumored to be thinking about a run for attorney general, Ms. Pirro’s talk could not be described as appealing, focusing as it did on gruesome sex crimes.

But because the audience thought she would run for attorney general and win, they treated her like royalty. “You’re going places, honey,” the host of the dinner, Elaine Kelly, said by way of introduction. “I can see it.” Another sign that star power may soon emerge as a leading quality for Republican candidates is the fact that speculation has begun to circulate again about a former NFL player and Syracuse-area native, Tim Green, running for statewide office.

The polymath Mr. Green, 41, is a former football star, a lawyer, an author of 12 novels, a columnist for USA Today, host of Fox News Channel’s “A Current Affair,” and the father of four children. His name surfaced two years ago as a possible candidate for state Senate, but disappeared soon after. Mr. Green told The New York Sun he had recently been approached about running for statewide office but is right now not interested.

“People have talked to me about it, but I think everyone who knows me well knows I’m focused right now on the television show and writing,” Mr. Green said. “I really am going to spend the next couple of years focused on that.” Mr. Green, a former defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons, said his favorite novel is “Our Mutual Friend,” a doorstop of a book by Charles Dickens not typically found in locker rooms or political speeches.

Still, Mr. Green, who lives in the Syracuse suburb of Skaneateles, did not rule out a run. He is an occasional headliner at conservative political functions, a sign that he is testing his message. “Down the line, I think before all is said and done I could see myself trying to do something if I thought I could help the state,” Mr. Green said. “It’s frustrating to be a New York resident and see the tax issues we have and the spending out of control. It’s frustrating.” Mr. Green also said his television show would “only help raise visibility.”

With Mr. Pataki not expected to run unless roused by an inner political assassin, and a former governor of Massachusetts, William Weld, saying he thinks it would be “fun” to run for governor if business interests permit, the Republicans appear to have receded into superficiality. The only potential candidate speaking with seriousness about the job is the secretary of state, Randy Daniels. Unless the casting crew at party headquarters in Albany can convince Mr. Green to run against his will.

Mr. McGuire is The New York Sun’s Albany correspondent.