David Paterson Not Leaning Toward Caroline Kennedy

Despite stories in several papers which characterize Caroline Kennedy as having the inside track on Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, multiple sources close to New York Governor David Paterson tell Political Machine that he is not leaning toward appointing her.

One source said that Paterson has not expressed a preference, and is concentrating more on rolling out the state's budget. The Kennedy buzz is an unwelcome distraction at this point, the source said.

Another source close to Paterson told me that a lot of pressure has been brought to bear on Kennedy's behalf, but also said that he had not expressed a preference for the seat. Receiving strong consideration, along with Kennedy, is New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, another pick with a strong pedigree and the ability to raise money, but with a good deal more political experience than Kennedy. Picking Cuomo offers the added advantage of avoiding a possible primary challenge to Paterson's governorship in 2010.

Although Hillary Clinton has reportedly asked her supporters to back off of attacking Caroline's bid, the source tells me that Clinton's supporters in the state had been pushing hard for Representative Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat.

Even if the post is wide open in Paterson's mind, it will be tough to resist the mounting pressure to pick Caroline. With pressure from the Kennedys themselves, Harry Reid, and even the President-Elect's office, Governor Paterson has a tough choice to make. But he hasn't made it yet.

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