By Elizabeth Benjamin and Kenneth Lovett
Daily News Albany Bureau
Sunday, September 20th 2009, 12:39 AM
Bedder/Getty, Miller for News
President Obama does not want Gov. Paterson to seek reelection.
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ALBANY - In a stunning request, the Obama administration has made it clear to poll-challenged Gov. Paterson that the White House would prefer he not seek election to a full four-year term next year.
The Obama administration sent the message through White House political affairs director Patrick Gaspard, who met with the governor at his campaign headquarters for nearly two hours last Monday, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation.
"They expressed concern about his chances about being reelected and the likelihood his presence in the race made it more likely that Rudy Giuliani would enter the contest," the source said. "The preference is that he not run. That message was conveyed directly."
The bombshell meeting between Paterson and Gaspard occurred the same day President Obama was in New York City to deliver a Wall Street address - a speech Paterson was not invited to, according to several sources.
The White House's preference he not run was reiterated to Paterson during a Friday evening dinner with Rep. Greg Meeks, a Queens Democrat.
Paterson, according to the first source, raised his Monday conversation with Gaspard during the dinner, which also included a couple of state senators.
Meeks, the source said, told Paterson that he had spoken in Washington, D.C., with Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who he said doesn't think a Paterson run is "tenable."
The message to Paterson not only represents the White House trying to heavily influence a top state race, but also is a case of the first black president pressuring New York's first black governor to step aside.
Paterson's top aide, secretary Larry Schwartz, responded "no" in a response to an email if he would comment on the issue.
One Paterson aide said the governor is "certainly planning to run - at this moment."
A Paterson decision to withdraw from the race would clear the way for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who many Democrats and union leaders would prefer to be the candidate.
At the very least, by letting Paterson know he will not have the backing of the White House, and the world's most important black leader, Obama's easing pressure on Cuomo.
The attorney general has worked hard to recover from his failed 2002 Democratic gubernatorial primary against H. Carl McCall, who was seeking to become the first black governor.
Those close to Paterson were tightlipped last night.
Paterson's top aide, secretary Larry Schwartz, responded "no" in a response to an email if he would comment on the issue.
On Thursday, four days after the meeting with Gaspard, Paterson named Richard Fife as his campaign manager, signaling to many his intention to run next year.
Fife, a veteran New York political operative, was a volunteer New York adviser for the Obama campaign and was an Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
Paterson has irked the White House several times.
The governor, despite the historic nature of the campaign, initially endorsed homestate Sen. Hillary Clinton for president over Obama.
Earlier this year, while it was clear Obama preferred that Paterson select Caroline Kennedy to replace Clinton in the Senate, Paterson picked little-known upstate Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand.
His aides then trashed Kennedy publicly after she withdrew her name for consideration.
More recently, Paterson went on a rant that racial bias was behind his negative coverage and claimed that Obama was the next target, a charge refuted by Obama's press secretary.
Paterson took office in March 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal. While his poll numbers were high at first, they began plummeting over his handling of the budget, which dramatically raised spending and taxes and fees, and his handling of the U.S. Senate appointment.
As Paterson has failed to resurrect his dismal poll numbers - 70% of New Yorkers, including 65% of Democrats said in a Marist poll last week that they don't want him to run next year - momentum has been building for him to step aside.
Democratic lawmakers and labor union leaders have openly challenged and mocked him, with many saying they fear his weak standing could hurt other Democrats' chances at the polls next year.
All the while, Cuomo has gone about his business while noticeably refusing to rule out a run next year.
With Glenn Blain
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