Paterson Weighs Options on Hill's Possible Replacement

Photo Courtesy AP/Gerald Herbert

While there have been no further signs from President-elect Obama that he will select Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State, speculation is still rampant about who Governor Paterson would choose to replace her in the senate if she does in fact take the position. Any of the original suggestions that Paterson would escape the state's overwhelming budget crisis and appoint himself seem to have been squashed with Paterson telling friends he plans to remain governor.

That leaves local papers doing their best guessing to pinpoint just which state politician would be the most advantageous to Paterson politically. With such a heavy concentration of state leadership coming from NYC as of late, over the weekend Buffalo-area Congressman Brian Higgins was floated as the leading contender for the spot.

If Paterson is worried about eliminating a potential rival in the 2010 campaign for governor, Andrew Cuomo keeps being mentioned as a serious possibility. But sources say Cuomo is not inclined to take the spot and Paterson told the News, "I don't see Andrew as any prospective challenge to me; he's told me time and time again he doesn't want to run against me."

Now the latest name being thrown around as the front-runner to replace Hillary is local Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Velazquez, a strong Clinton ally, was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House in 1992 and chairs the Small Business Committee. She's being called a "twofer" since Paterson would keeping the senate seat in a woman's hands as well as showing his commitment to Latino leadership--a move that couldn't be more timely with the Gang of Three still threatening to challenge the leadership of State Senator Malcolm Smith. Paterson told the News, "At some point it would be a very good opportunity to have a person of Hispanic descent as a city or statewide leader."

As for whether any and all of this will happen as a result of Senator Clinton changing hats, Obama is still remaining mum on the matter. When asked about last week's meeting with Clinton on 60 Minutes last night, all he would say was, "You know, she is somebody who I needed advice and counsel from. She is one of the most thoughtful public officials that we have."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Billy Parker in News on November 17, 2008 2:38 PM

Comments [rss]

wylielaw

howdy ho gothamists,

interested in continue chattering about the selection of the junior senator? check out a blog i've posted

Who WIll Be the Next Junior Senator from NY ...The Albany Project

wylieLaw

jpeditor

"All I'm going to say is that, as a Puerto Rican, the prospect of Nydia Velázquez substituting Hillary Clinton for New York... it definitely hits the spot at least in terms of national pride."

Once again comrades, we must all vote/ be repped by race / nationality, instead of by BACKGROUND, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCE.

cucarachita

I like Nydia!

But Quinn, never! She made like Bloomberg pressured her into the third term vote, and guess what? I'd never vote for a caver.

I'd still vote for Bloomberg, though. Just not for those who caved into him, if cave, indeed, they did.

west side Michael

Bill made a lot of Money from Chinese lobby pimps

do we want more of that?

Check out who helped him and his wife get 100

million dollars in income ,post Presidency.

"It ain't pretty,the naked city".

west side Michael

Velasquez , "Oh No Mr.Bill".

Rep.Carolyn Maloney would be a great choice especially for our upcoming health care issues.

HUGO_MEGO

Quinn is a pig but Hillary is a filthy pig.

Mr Mel

Hey JMH, I could almost accept Tom Golisano, my fear is the great unknown. I am now hoping that Obama doesn't want Hillary and that Richardson will be his choice.

suepart

if i knew that obama was going to ask hilary, i would have voted for mcain

longacre

Also keep in mind that while Hillary might be the front runner, her husband's shady post-presidency business dealings (which, according to Politico.com, the Clintons are dragging their feet in disclosing to the White House as part of the vetting process) very well may preclude her from getting the job. It's also possible that Obama knew this the whole time and never had any intention of actually hiring her.

JMH

Mr. Mel - you mean Tom Golisano?

Mr Mel

I haven't read the name of one qualified person for her Senate seat. If we leave it up to Paterson, we'll wind up with a political payoff instead of someone who can legislate and lead. I'll bet he comes up with some upstate unknown with a lot of connections and a bunch of money.

Toby von Meistersinger

Rule number one with politics, anyone who wants to be in office probably shouldn't.

jackdonaghy

IF Hillary is offered the position AND she accepts, what about Caroyln Maloney for US Senate? She serves on several financial committees and might have a better understanding of the nation's #1 problem.

JMH

If you want to be a free nation, then be a free nation. You have every right to that.

I don't think it's entirely technically up to PR to determine whether to become a state or not, since the support of the U.S. Congress is required. It's the official platform of both the Democratic and Republican parties that the citizens of PR have the right to determine their own status. PR has voted on, and voted against, statehood in the past, most recently about ten years ago. If the people of PR wanted to be a state, I think they'd be welcomed.

longacre

The same Nydia Velazquez who, during Hillary's Senate run, pressured her to pressure President Bill to pardon the FALN terrorists in exchange for an endorsement? Sure, why not promote her to national office?

JRod5417

JMH- Gold star for knee-jerk response.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Quinn is a pig

marginal

@ JMH:

What if we want to be a free nation?

Oh, wait, I just realized the first question should have been: Do you really think it's up to us whether we become a state or not?? Come on, kid, read up on your American politics...