New York Gov. David Paterson says he's considering Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat about to be vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Paterson and Cuomo had refused since early December to say if Cuomo is in the running, even as the latest polls show New Yorkers favor Cuomo by a narrow margin over Caroline Kennedy.
Paterson tried to be funny in an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell before Tuesday's inauguration of President Barack Obama. He joked that he was leaning toward Michelle Obama in an attempt to even out the gender ratio ... in an attempt to be funny.
And in a CBS television interview Tuesday, Paterson noted that Kennedy impressed him, but Cuomo also has outstanding qualities.
And further muddying the waters is a report on The New York Daily News suggesting that Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand might have the inside track.
Paterson also says Cuomo -- who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2002 -- has told the governor he won't run against him in 2010.
The governor and the attorney general have claimed their conversations are confidential because of their attorney-client relationship.
It's Official: Paterson Will Pick Cuomo Or Someone Else
Governor says he'll have his answer this weekend
Copyright AP - Associated Press
