[9] Paladino founded Ellicott Development Co. in 1973; the company buys properties, builds stores, and leases them to national retail outlets and government agencies.

[11] Paladino is close friends with pizzeria owner Joseph Todaro Jr. and has denied the existence of an Italian organized crime syndicate in Buffalo.

[21] Paladino pledged himself to one term in office and, like fellow businessmen-turned-politicians Chris Collins and Michael Bloomberg, would forgo collecting his salary if elected.

[23] With regard to a planned Islamic community center two blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City, in late July 2010, Paladino issued a radio ad which stated, "As Governor, I will use the power of eminent domain to stop this mosque and make the site a war memorial instead of a monument to those who attacked our country.

[25] In April 2010, a local progressive Web site released a series of racially charged and sexually explicit e-mails that purported to be from Paladino.

[35] He began a television and radio advertising campaign in July of that year, including local TV stations as well as national ads on the Fox News Channel.

The Paladino-Edwards ticket competed in November against Democrat Andrew Cuomo and his running mate, Robert Duffy, as well as several minor-party candidates.

[44] Lazio was nominated by the Bronx Republican Party for a state Supreme Court judgeship, legally enabling him to be removed from the Conservative line as a gubernatorial candidate.

[49] Paladino apologized for his comments, saying that "The portrayal of me as anti-gay is inconsistent with my lifelong beliefs and actions and my prior history as a father, employer and friend to many in the gay and lesbian community.

Under state law, the Education Commissioner may remove a board member from office for a violation of the law or willful neglect of duty; the board argues that Paladino's statement violates the Dignity for All Students Act, "which requires school districts to provide students with an environment free of discrimination, harassment and bullying.

[75] Several of the petitions argue for Paladino's removal on the basis of his public sharing of information discussed in executive session related to negotiations for a new contract with Buffalo teachers.

[75] In April 2017, Paladino filed papers with the commissioner seeking a delay in the administrative hearings against him while he pursues a lawsuit claiming a conspiracy to remove him from the school board.

[77][78] After the public hearing, Elia announced Paladino's removal from the board on August 17, 2017, effective immediately, citing the violation of executive session rules.

[81] In October 2011, Paladino filed a lawsuit against National Grid and Verizon (the primary electric and telephone utilities in Western New York, respectively) for what he alleged were exorbitant fees which the two companies charged for services.

"[82] Paladino filed a lawsuit against Buffalo Public Schools in July 2012, citing abuse of executive session and lack of transparency in the process of awarding a contract to the district's new superintendent.

Paladino made endorsements in the New York State senate elections, selecting three primary opponents against incumbent Republicans: Kevin Stocker against Mark Grisanti, Neil DeCarlo against Stephen Saland, and Johnny Destino against George Maziarz.

[89] Paladino aggressively pushed and threatened Republicans in New York's delegation to Congress and the State Legislature to support Trump, writing in an open letter: "This is our last request that you join 'Trump for President' and try to preserve what's left of your pathetic careers in government.

[94] After keeping a relatively low profile since being removed from the Buffalo School Board, Paladino ran in the 2022 primary for the US House seat from New York's 23rd district,[95] after incumbent Chris Jacobs announced his retirement.

[100] He opposes most social distancing efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, believing they have destroyed small businesses and were an overreaction to a virus he recognizes as serious.

Paladino himself contracted the virus through unknown community spread and was briefly hospitalized with mild pneumonia in early September 2020 but has since recovered; he has not changed his stance.

[103] Paladino, who has a handgun permit and "carries wherever it is legal",[104] is strongly in favor of firearm ownership and Second Amendment rights; he seeks to repeal the New York State Assault Weapon Ban.

In June 2022, Paladino shared and then deleted a conspiracy-laden Facebook post suggesting the racist mass shooting in Buffalo was part of a plot to take away people's guns.

[37] Paladino also supported converting some minimum security prisons into Civilian Conservation Corps-style job camps for unemployed youth, which he dubbed the "Dignity Corps", a program he based on both the CCC and the work of a local mission in Buffalo.

[124] Paladino supports hard term limits of eight years on all elected officials within the state's jurisdiction, including county and local governments.

[125] He also desires to see their positions declared "part time" and as such ineligible for a state pension or lifetime medical coverage; in addition, he opposes automatic cost of living adjustment increases and seeks to force legislators to take an up or down vote on their own pay raises.

He would seek a complete reorganization of the state education department and encourages dissolution of the Board of Regents, the SUNY Board of Trustees,[107] the Lower Manhattan Development Agency,[109] the Empire State Development Corporation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority,[121] the Off-Track Betting Corporation,[126] the Adirondack Park Agency, and the New York Power Authority.

)[128] He was willing to support a hard property tax cap, such as the one Cuomo proposed, if it was part of a broader effort to cut spending.

In an open letter to Assemblywoman Janet Duprey announcing his support of challenger Karen Bisso, Paladino indicated that the "tier 6" pension reforms implemented by the Cuomo administration were wholly inadequate and "nothing more than hype".

[138] He believes the tribes are run by a cabal of "fifteen to twenty thugs" who are using their price advantage to benefit themselves and not the general populace of their reservations.

"[143] In August 2016, Paladino falsely claimed in an interview with the New York Observer that President Barack Obama was a secret Muslim, repeating a debunked conspiracy theory.