Obama calls New York's Governor "a wonderful man"

By Anne McGinn

Published December 24, 2015

President Obama is greeted by New York Gov. David Paterson after arriving at Albany International Airport (AP Photo)

Obama, who traveled to upstate New York today for an event at a community college, was greeted warmly by the governor at the airport. The governor then had prime seating for the president's remarks, where Potus told the audience, "a wonderful man, the governor of the great state of New York, David Paterson, is in the house."

The governor's poor approval ratings are cause for concern for some democrats who fear Paterson may cost the party seats in next fall's election.

When asked whether the president wants Paterson to sit out, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded, "I wouldn't add a lot to what you've read, except this is a decision that he's (Paterson's) going to make."

On Sunday a senior administration official told Mike Emanuel, in response to the New York times report, "President Obama is not involved in any way. There are officials in the White House that share the concerns that are widely held in New York about the very challenging political environment confronting Governor Paterson."

The official added however, that those concerns were expressed through appropriate channels, "Nobody asked him to get out of the race - it is Governor Paterson's decision to make. We're confident he'll make the decision based on the best interests of the state."

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-calls-new-yorks-governor-a-wonderful-man