Paterson Bows Out
[Guest post by DRJ]
The AP reports New York Governor David Paterson has informed Washington he is abandoning his re-election campaign:
“Gov. David Paterson, struggling to get traction on his agenda and shadowed by a popular and well-financed potential foe, abruptly ended his nascent election bid Friday amid criticism of his handling of an aide’s domestic abuse case.
Democratic officials in Washington were informed of Paterson’s plans early Friday. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because Paterson had not publicly disclosed his plans.”
That’s cheery news for Democrats since it clears the way for Andrew Cuomo:
“It has been widely expected – and among some Democrats, eagerly awaited – that the more popular Cuomo would run for governor and help prop up a reeling Democratic party in the state. Cuomo, son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, has already built a campaign fund five times larger than Paterson and consistently outpolls Paterson among New York Democrats, who hold a 2-to-1 edge over Republicans statewide.
“This was a campaign that was going nowhere very quickly and the numbers couldn’t have been any more bleak for him before this,” said Lee Miringoff of the Marist College poll. “Regardless of the legalities involved and this specific controversy, the odds of him taking the oath of office next January were very remote.”
Paterson’s decision lets Cuomo avoid an expensive and divisive primary, he said.
For Republican candidate Rick Lazio, it means he can no longer try to split the Democrats and now must confront the far better funded and more popular Cuomo.”
President Obama had asked Paterson not to run as early as last September.
— DRJ
Well, it makes the job a lot more difficult, but if Lazio can beat a more formidable Dem like Cuomo then it will be much sweeter than knocking off a disgraced hack like Paterson. Here’s hoping a GOP tide sweeps over NY too, just like in 1994.
Clearly the strategy is to run against the Democrat machine which gave NY the likes of Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson, Charlie Rangel, and the rest of them.
JVW (7b6bca) — 2/26/2010 @ 10:41 amCuomo is a dirt bag of massive proportions and wears poorly on the public. He will lose.
HeavenSent (c3c032) — 2/26/2010 @ 10:46 amCuomo has major problems with the financial meltdown and Lazio should be able to hang a lot of that on him. New York is a place where that will make more noise than some other places.
Mike K (2cf494) — 2/26/2010 @ 11:19 amCuomo is a dirt bag of massive proportions
Since when has that bothered a large percentage of voters of the left, which New York is chock full of? To them, it’s all a matter of feelings, of believing that when the heart goes pitter-patter, and one is trying to make a decision in the voting booth, that compassion and do-gooderness — regardless of whether it’s actually genuine or fake — is all that matters.
Mark (411533) — 2/26/2010 @ 11:30 amCuomo was enough to cause a Kennedy to gag and run, but I don’t know if your average New Yorker is of stronger stock. I guess we’ll find out.
GeneralMalaise (c58b20) — 2/26/2010 @ 3:56 pmHe broke my heart. This is what he gets.
Princess Caroline a/k/a nk (db4a41) — 2/26/2010 @ 6:33 pmwho will Ted Kennedy endorse?
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 2/26/2010 @ 6:35 pm