Hey, he was invited!
Gov. David Paterson may end up facing off against Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in the 2010 Democratic primary, but he still helped him blow out the candles on his birthday cake.
Despite the invitation, no one thought Paterson, whose poll struggles are widely known, would actually show up to "Andrew Cuomo 2010" at the Sheraton in Midtown, which doubled as a b-day party and an event to raise cash for the pol's re-election fund.
But there was Paterson, grinning and waltzing into the fund-raiser after attending a different event at the same hotel.
"I'm just here to wish Andrew a merry Christmas and a happy birthday," Paterson told The New York Post after his quick appearance.
He told the paper that Cuomo, who turned 52 on Dec. 6, "thanked me for being here … I hope he raised as much money as he wants to."
The next campaign-finance filing deadline is in mid-January, by which time Cuomo is expected to have raised up to four times as much dough as Paterson, reports the Post.
While some speculated about Paterson's reasons for showing up – maybe he was curious who'd be there, perhaps he wanted to show everyone he was still in charge, or maybe he wanted to look for some funds of his own – the governor says it was natural for him to be there.
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"There's no reason we shouldn't be wishing him well," Paterson told the Post.
Not surprisingly, the governor didn't contribute to Cuomo's re-election fund, according to the Daily News.
