David A. Paterson
From Conservapedia
| David A. Paterson | |
|---|---|
| |
| Governor of New York From: March 17, 2008 – Present | |
| Predecessor | Eliot Spitzer |
| Successor | Incumbent (no successor) |
| Information | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Michelle Paige Paterson |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
David A. Paterson (b. May 20, 1954, in Brooklyn, NY) is New York’s 55th governor. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Columbia University in 1977, and completed his J.D. at Hofstra Law School in 1982. He is the first legally blind person to take the Oath of Office as Governor and New York's first African American Governor.
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Defuses scandal
Paterson is married to Michelle Paige Paterson, and they have two children, Ashley and Alex. His admission on taking office that he had extramarital affairs defused the issue.
Poor governor
Paterson started out with very high approval ratings after he replaced disgraced Governor Eliot Spitzer in March 2008. Even Republicans leaders were dancing in the aisles.
Paterson's popularity collapsed in early 2009, following his confused search for a replacement for the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, and the sharp downturn in state finances as part of the Recession of 2008.
Paterson finally picked the most conservative possible candidate for the Senate seat, Kirsten Gillibrand, angering liberals.
With the $133 billion state budget in the red by $17.7 billion, Paterson came into conflict with public service unions who rejected his call for sacrifice. Polls in September 2009 show his unpopularity had set a new record: only 17% of New Yorkers were favorable.
2010 election
President Barack Obama in Sept. 2009 contacted Paterson, asking him not to seek reelection in 2010 in that he cannot recover from his dismal political standing.[1]
Former mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani is considering a run as the GOP candidate in 2010. Giuliani has a strong base in terms of achievement and voter support. The strongest Democrat is probably state attorney general Andrew Cuomo, son of a governor and now the most popular Democratic figure in the state. While only 30% of voters in a Quinnipiac poll in Aug. 2009 approved of the job that Paterson was doing, 74% approved of Cuomo’s job performance, which features attacks on bankers in New York City.
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Raymond Hernandez and Jeff Zeleny, "Obama Said to Request That Paterson Drop Campaign," New York Times Sept. 19, 2009
