Paterson Says He's a Partner In Spitzer Run

Eliot Spitzer's running mate, David Paterson, said the star attorney general has not sidelined him on the campaign trail but is treating him as a "partner."

In an interview, the state senator said he was never denied permission by the Spitzer team to debate his Republican lieutenant governor opponent, C. Scott Vanderhoef, before the November general election.

Rather, Mr. Paterson said he at first rejected Mr. Vanderhoef's demand for a debate but later gave his consent after receiving encouragement from Mr. Spitzer.

Mr. Paterson, a representative of Harlem and the departing minority leader of the Senate, said the merging of his and Mr. Spitzer's campaigns after the September 12 primary meant that some of the high-level decision-making shifted from his staff to the top of the ticket. "That might have created an appearance of a diminished role for me," Mr. Paterson said.

Still, Mr. Paterson said he's playing a more prominent role on the campaign trail than what is customary for candidates for lieutenant governor, a job in New York government that traditionally lacks visibility and power."I'm still rolling out policies for the team and being the lead person on it,"Mr. Paterson said."I'm still giving plenty of interviews."

Since Mr. Spitzer tapped him to be his running mate, Mr. Paterson has given lengthy speeches on issues ranging from renewable energy to domestic violence and stem cell research.

Mr. Paterson was responding to a report last week in the New York Post that quoted a high-ranking Democrat alleging that Mr. Paterson had been muzzled by Mr. Spitzer's campaign, which is being run by Rich Baum, a longtime aide to the attorney general.

"I'm being treated as a partner," Mr. Paterson said."When I saw that article, I was horrified because there has been a lot of effort to be a partner."

The article said Democratic sources were claiming that Mr. Spitzer refused to allow Mr. Paterson to debate the senator's opponent, who is the executive of Rockland County. On September 27, Mr. Vanderhoef wrote to Mr. Paterson asking him to participate in eight debates — one in each region of the state — before the November 7 election.

Mr. Paterson said his opponent's offer came too late and was made out of desperation. "Originally, we said, ‘No, we don't want a debate,'" Mr. Paterson said. Last Monday, Mr. Spitzer called him and said, "Listen, I know they're not sticking to the schedule we've negotiated but go for it," Mr. Paterson said. On October 4, the senator agreed to take part in one debate.