David A. Paterson
PER
Spitzer Paterson David A. Paterson Spitzer-Paterson Basil A. Paterson Eliot Spitzer
State Senator David A. Paterson has been patiently awaiting the day when the Democratic minority he leads can take over the chamber, and take his seat with the governor and the Assembly speaker to decide how New York State is governed. Mr. Paterson stunned the political world here when the news broke that he had agreed to join Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor. The campaign could raise the profile of Mr. Paterson, 51, the scion of a prominent Harlem political family who was born legally blind and worked as a prosecutor before entering politics. The news that Mr. Paterson was preparing to leave the Senate set the Capitol astir, with Republicans gloating that it could be a sign that the news of their impending death has been greatly exaggerated.