Paterson Campaign Going "Full Speed Ahead"

The tenacious Gov. Paterson says he's charging ahead with his electoral campaign, but with so many officials failing to RSVP, he may have to cancel his kick-off event on Saturday. The governor—who is as short on funds as he is on official and voter support—planned to launch his run at his alma mater Hofstra University, where his campaign manager said he would take "his case directly to the people." But some prominent Democrats don't want to show their faces.

The Daily News reports that officials gave various excuses why they couldn't attend the events on Paterson's NY tour, to include stops in Rochester, Buffalo and Harlem. Some said they'd like to, but just can't: "I felt like my being there would be considered a tacit endorsement," said Monroe County Democratic Chairman Joseph Morelle. Others claimed their invitations got lost in the mail: "We have not heard from the governor's office," said a spokesman for Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. Still more blamed the timing of the campaign launch at the end of a vacation week, while others just flat out said no.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who hasn't yet announced his candidacy, still beats Paterson squarely in the polls.