Paterson TV Ad: 'Some Say I Shouldn't Be Running for Governor'

November 05, 2009 6:47 PM

ABC News’ Teddy Davis Reports:

The opening line of a new television ad by New York Gov. David Paterson (D) is “some say I shouldn’t be running for governor.”

Left unsaid is that the someone is President Obama.

Back in September, two Obama administration officials and a New York Democratic operative told the New York Times that Obama and his advisers sent the message to Paterson out of concern that “Mr. Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing.” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., conveyed the message to the governor on behalf of the White House.

Despite pressure from Obama to bow out of the race in favor of state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Paterson has vowed to press on with his campaign.

In one of two 30-second television ads launched on Thursday, Paterson casts the criticism he has faced as flowing from a series of tough decisions which were intended to put “people first.”

“Some say I shouldn’t be running for governor,” says Paterson in his new television ad. “Some state legislators said that when I forced them to close $30 billion of deficit. Some union leaders said that when I asked the unions to make the same sacrifices that everyone else is making. And some big corporations said that when I made them pay their fair share in taxes. It might have been easier if all I thought about was running for governor. But I think it’s more important to do what’s right for the people of New York.”

Watch the ad HERE.

A second television ad launched by Paterson on Thursday alludes not only to the governor’s blindness but also to "mistakes" made in office.

"When you become governor, you learn that you will make mistakes," says the ad's narrator. "But in the depths of an historic recession, you take what you have learned and have the strength to do what's right for the people of New York."

Watch it HERE.

ABC News’ Sara Just contributed to this report.