Saturday, February 27, 2010
NEW YORK (AP) — Less than a week after declaring he would seek a full four-year term, New York Gov. David Paterson abruptly dropped his election bid Friday under pressure from Democrats concerned about his faltering agenda and criticism of his handling of a domestic-abuse case involving a trusted aide.
At a news conference, Paterson cited an accumulation of distractions that prompted him to end his campaign but said he had never abused his office.
“But I am being realistic about politics,” he said. “It hasn’t been the latest distraction. ... It’s been an accumulation of obstacles that have obfuscated me from bringing my message to the public.”
Paterson insisted that he would not resign and said he would serve out his term “fighting for the state of New York.”
And he said he would be vindicated by the criminal investigation he called for into his administration’s handling of the abuse case.
Paterson became governor in 2008, when former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in a prostitution scandal. Paterson’s decision to abandon the race paved the way for state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to make an unimpeded run for the Democratic nomination.
Paterson had publicly prided himself on beating the odds, including overcoming blindness to rise through treacherous New York politics. He formally announced his campaign just last weekend, and his decision to leave the race comes just 19 days short of his two-year anniversary as governor.
Paterson has been weighed down by low approval numbers for months. His support within his own party was dwindling, and his campaign bank account paled in size to those of his rivals.
Politicians from both parties praised the governor’s decision, and most Democrats said he should not have to resign.
Cuomo, son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, has already built a campaign fund five times larger than Paterson’s and consistently outpolls Paterson among New York Democrats, who hold a 2-to-1 edge over Republicans statewide. But he has declined to say whether he will run for governor.
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