States To Watch In 2010: New York

Our 12-state series concludes today with a supposedly deep blue state (New York) and a supposedly deep red state (Texas) though there are signs of life for both minority parties.

New York: Prostitutes. Cheating spouses. Cocaine. Backbiting. Infighting. Dirty tricks. Even a coup. It’s not an episode of Desperate Housewives; it’s the devolution of New York politics. Eliot Spitzer’s resignation in May of last year -- after being named Client No. 9 for frequenting high-end prostitutes -- set off a chain of events that threatened to undermine Democrats’ stronghold in what has become one of the bluest of blue states. Since then, the state government shut down after Democrats defected, and Spitzer’s replacement (David Paterson), unable to take control in Albany, has seen his approval numbers dive into the toilet. The White House and state Democrats have urged him to step aside in 2010 to clear the path for Andrew Cuomo, the state attorney general and son of former Governor Mario Cuomo. If Paterson, whom polls show losing to Rudy Giuliani for governor, stays in and it gets nasty, the Pandora’s Box of racial politics threatens to open a fissure among state Democrats and could weaken the brand statewide. With redistricting at stake in a state with several competitive Upstate House seats, Democrats can’t afford to that. It does, however, look like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will hold on after her controversial appointment -- unless someone like former Gov. George Pataki jumps in. BTW, Pataki seems more likely with every passing day.