Paterson Pressing Ahead With Election Campaign
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Amid a swirl of unsubstantiated rumors, not only is Governor David Paterson not resigning, but he is pressing ahead with his plans to run for a full term.
NY1 has learned the official kick-off for the governor's 2010 election will take place on February 20 in Hempstead, Long Island. The location has significance for the governor, as that is where he attended grade school after his parents moved when their local city school could not offer the legally-blind Paterson a slot that was not for special education students.
The election rally then moves upstate to Rochester and Buffalo, and then to New York City, to Paterson's adult home in Harlem.
On those dates, Paterson will try to bask in whatever positive attention he can muster, a big contrast to today. He is again out of sight, as everyone waits for a story by the New York Times that NY1 is told will profile the Democrat's rocky term in office.
The tabloids have seized on the impending story, essentially reporting on reporting, with headlines today blaring "Captain Chaos" and "I Did Not Have Sex With That Woman."
In an interview with the Associated Press yesterday, the governor said he's been faithful to his wife during his time as governor.
His top spokesman also shot back in an interview on "Inside City Hall."
“And frankly it’s just a despicable embarrassment for everyone who’s played a role,” said Paterson’s communication director Peter Kaufman. “And as far as its effect on the governor’s ability to govern through this crisis, it hasn’t affected him one bit, because he’s still as dedicated today as he was before this process started the day he took office."
The distraction is not welcome in Albany, of course, where Paterson just reported the budget deficit is hundreds of millions of dollars worse than before, and the state is reeling with double-digit unemployment.