Support for Paterson Finishing Out Term in New York Drops Sharply

The number of New Yorkers who believe Gov. David Paterson should finish out his term has dropped sharply as new revelations continue to emerge about his efforts to get a woman not to go public with charges of abuse against one of his top aides, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted March 3-4.

Quinnipiac says that 46 percent now say Paterson should stay on the job compared to 42 percent who believe he should resign, with 12 percent undecided. In its March 3 poll, 61 percent said he should finish his term, 31 percent said he should resign and 9 percent were undecided.

"Support for Gov. David Paterson erodes with every new headline," said Quinnipiac's Maurice Carroll. "New York State voters started the week giving the Governor the benefit of the doubt 2-1. Now, there is more doubt and less benefit as he clings to a bare plurality of support."

The latest development was a report by the State Commission on Public Integrity that said Paterson had testified falsely during a probe into whether he had accepted free World Series tickets last fall.

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