Politics on the Hudson

Gov. David Paterson is expected today to drop plans to run for election, a leading Democratic official said.

Paterson has been talking with Democratic leaders over the past 24 hours and decided to end his campaign amid questions about his role in allegedly attempting to squash a domestic-abuse case involving his top aide, David Johnson.

The announcement is expected later today. Several media outlets are reporting the planned announcement.

The Associated Press said Paterson has alerted officials in Washington about his plans.

Paterson last night for the first time suggested that he would listen to Democratic leaders about whether to continue his campaign.

“I’m obviously listening to them, I have an open mind about this thing. I want the Democrats to win in November. I want the governor of the state of the New York to be Democratic, hopefully me,” he said last night.

He added that “I will weigh what they have to say, but right now I’m a candidate for governor.”