Paterson Bows Out of N.Y. Governor Race

New York Gov. David Paterson, who took the state’s top post after Eliot Spitzer stepped down amid a prostitution scandal in March 2008, announced Friday that he won’t continue his campaign for election this November—a development that comes as Paterson is caught up in a scandal of his own. Now, who’s up for the job? —KA

The New York Times:

Mr. Paterson, his administration caught up in a whirlwind of allegations about its intervention in a domestic violence episode involving a top aide, ended his campaign less than a week after it officially began. But he defiantly denied any wrongdoing in the burgeoning scandal over his involvement in the abuse case.

“I have never abused my office — not now, not ever,” he told a gathering of roughly 60 reporters, photographers and camera people in a crowded briefing room in the governor’s office on Third Avenue in Manhattan.

In the end, he told the group, following a lengthy recounting of what he saw as his greatest success in decades of public service, “I am being realistic about politics. It hasn’t been the latest distraction, it’s been an acucmulation of obstacles.”

He added: “There are times not to strive for service but to step back. That moment has come for me.”

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AP / Richard Drew

New York Gov. David Paterson, accompanied by his wife, Michelle, raises his hand to swear an oath during a news conference in New York on Friday.