David Paterson to End Campaign For N.Y. Governor
New York Gov. David Paterson will not run for a full term in office, a Democratic source confirmed to CBS News. The governor is expected to announce the news at a press conference later today.
Paterson's decision comes in the wake of questions surrounding his ethics in office. The New York Times reported Wednesday that Paterson involved himself in a conflict between his aide David Johnson and a woman who accused Johnson of physically assaulting her.
Paterson is expected to say he will not seek election to a full term but that he is not resigning from office, the New York Daily News reports.
Earlier this month, Paterson was insistent he would neither resign nor end his campaign.
"The only way I'm not going to be governor next year is at the ballot box, and the only way I'll be leaving office before is in a box," Paterson said. "Actually, the more frustrated I get, the more I know I am going to be running."
After an initial report from the New York Times regarding Johnson's questionable past, Paterson defended his aide, along with his own reputation. This week's report from the Times, however, put more culpability on Paterson. The governor acknowledged that, even asking State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate whether the administration or state police committed any crime in talking to the woman who accused Johnson of assaulting her. He also suspended Johnson.
Paterson's decision to suspend his campaign came after a series of conversations with various people, including Rev. Al Sharpton, sources told WCBS TV Chief Political Correspondent Marcia Kramer.
Paterson became governor after his predecessor, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, resigned because of a prostitution scandal in March, 2008. His decision opens up the Democratic nomination for governor for Cuomo, who is widely expected to run and has fared better than Paterson in public opinion polls.
