A meeting of Democratic leaders from more than a dozen upstate New York counties shows a continuing rift within the party over whether Gov. David Paterson should end his election bid.
No vote was taken in Saturday's private meeting that excluded the state party's leadership.
Rockland County Democratic Chairman Vincent Monte says there was overwhelming support at the meeting for Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general who hasn't said whether he will run for governor.
He says Democratic county leaders will continue to discuss their concern with Paterson's viability as a candidate without the state party's leadership.
Though he didn't attend the meeting, state Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs says there was support voiced for Paterson, too. He says the process to choose the nominee continues.
Polls continue to indicate that Cuomo would trounce Paterson in a potential Democratic primary.
Even more concerning, Paterson has been spending more money than he's bringing in – and the pitiful size of his war chest compared with Cuomo's has some wondering if he has the ability to launch a vigorous campaign for governor.
In the July reports, Cuomo had $10.1 million to Paterson's $5.4 million. But while Paterson raised $2.2 million in the last six months, he already spent nearly $4.6 million, primarily on television commercials the campaign as run for weeks. He's also got at least 14 campaign consultants on the payroll, reports The New York Times.
