Paterson Rules Out Taking Clinton Seat For Himself

Posted by: Joseph Spector - Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 17, 2008

Take one name off the list of potential successors if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton were to join the Obama administration.

Gov. David Paterson this morning ruled out the possibility of appointing himself to the position were Clinton to resign her post midterm to join President-elect Barack Obama’s administration.

“I’m not going to speculate on the speculation about that situation,” Paterson told reporters in a conference call. “But what is not under speculation is that I am the governor of the state of New York.”

“I want to run for re-election as governor in 2010.”

Speculation has been rampant since Clinton met Thursday with Obama in Chicago about possibly joining the administration, potentially as secretary of state.

Were that to happen, Paterson would have to appoint Clinton’s successor and there has been some talk that Paterson himself could take the post and rid himself of the state’s financial mess.

Paterson was rumored as a top candidate to succeed Clinton if she were elected president this year, but that talk was largely when Paterson was lieutenant governor under then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

Since he’s now governor, Paterson said he has no intention of abandoning the state’s fiscal challenges and reiterated his plans to run for re-election in 2010. He took office in March.

“It was very difficult for a new governor to come into a budget process, in which in this case I had not been involved in,” Paterson said. “And between March 17 and April 9 we were able to pass a budget. And while I’m happy with that outcome, I would not want to put the state through that again.”

He continued, “I’m very happy being governor. I signed up for the possibility when I ran with Governor Spitzer for lieutenant governor and I think it is an honor to serve the people in the state of New York.”

Names being discussed to potentially replace Clinton Reps. Nita Lowey of Westchester County, Nydia Velázquez of New York City, Kirsten Gillibrand of the Albany area or Brian Higgins of Buffalo; state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo; and environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose father once held the seat.