Gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer’s decision to tap the minority leader in the state Senate, David Paterson, to join his ticket on the lieutenant governor’s line is being greeted warily by some of New York’s black political leaders, who are backing another candidate for lieutenant governor.

Mr. Spitzer’s decision surprised several of Harlem’s most prominent black leaders, who said they had not known Mr. Paterson was interested in the job.

Many of those leaders – including Mr. Paterson’s own father, Basil Paterson; Mayor Dinkins; Rep. Charles Rangel; and Percy Sutton – had already endorsed a little-known candidate named Leecia Eve, who is the daughter of a former Assembly speaker.

“It’s awkward when you stand with a guy’s father and a group like Dinkins and Sutton endorsing someone and then find out that you have another candidate from your own immediate political family,” Mr. Rangel told The New York Sun during a telephone interview last night.

Mr. Rangel, who had breakfast with Messrs. Spitzer and Sutton yesterday to discuss the decision, insisted that he is not mad. He said, however, that he plans to stick with his candidate in a primary for the lieutenant governor position and pointed out that “unlike the presidency of the United States, it’s two separate votes.”

“On more than one occasion, the head of the ticket has won,” but the running mate has not, Mr. Rangel said.

While the decision to select Mr. Paterson, who is black and legally blind, was praised by some as a smart decision that would improve Mr. Spitzer’s standing among minorities, it left others scratching their heads and wondering why the state attorney general made the decision so early.

The speculation has centered on several possible reasons, including Mr. Spitzer’s desire to shore up support among black voters and to cement his position as the Democratic front-runner before the Nassau County executive, Thomas Suozzi, officially declares his plans to enter a Democratic primary and picks up steam.

“I think it’s rather early,” said the chairman of the state Conservative Party, Michael Long. “One could speculate that he’s concerned about Suozzi and is trying to shore up all bases that he can to minimize Suozzi’s thrust in the Democratic convention and primary.”

Mr. Spitzer’s campaign manager, Ryan Toohey, declined to discuss the decision, but said: “We’ll have an announcement regarding lieutenant governor in a couple of days.” A spokesman for Mr. Paterson declined to comment.

The potential departure of Mr. Paterson from the state Senate is another important layer to the political storyline. Some political observers said running for lieutenant governor could set Mr. Paterson up to run for higher office, but others questioned why he would opt to leave the minority leader position in the state Senate during a push in the Democratic Party to take back that chamber of the state Legislature.

If Mr. Paterson stayed on and Democrats retook the Senate, he would probably be one of the leading contenders – if not the leading contender – to become the majority leader, one of the three most powerful jobs in the state, and a post that in New York’s political structure wields far more power than that of lieutenant governor. A Republican political consultant, Gerry O’Brien, said Mr. Paterson would be the “odds-on favorite,” to become majority leader if the Democrats tip the balance and get a majority.

“It is certainly going to be seen in a lot of circles as an indication that the Democrats may not have the strong hand that they claim to have going into this year’s elections from the Senate perspective,” Mr. O’Brien said.

Mr. Paterson has a solid reputation among his colleagues as someone who has overcome his disability to become a strong political force. A Democratic political consultant, Howard Wolfson, who worked for Mr. Paterson in 2004, said he brought a lot to the ticket.

“Obviously it brings diversity to the ticket,” Mr. Wolfson said. “In addition to that, David Paterson is a leader in the Senate, he knows Albany, and he’s been a reformer in Albany. Anyone who has followed his career knows that he’s a thoughtful, serious legislator.”

The move could also change the dynamics for the attorney general’s race, where there are a number of city candidates running. Ms. Eve is from Buffalo, while Messrs. Spitzer and Paterson are from New York City. The state Democratic Party might look to have at least one candidate from outside the city. One upstate candidate, Denise O’Donnell, who could get a boost from the Paterson selection, praised the decision.

While Mr. Spitzer has raised more than $19 million and leads his opponents in the polls, Mr. Suozzi already has about $5 million in the bank and seems to be picking up steam.

In a statement yesterday Mr. Suozzi called Mr. Paterson a “great person” and said he has “tremendous respect for him.” But then he added: “Should I decide to run for governor, my campaign will be about my record of executive management and government reform, and my ideas and experiences to do the same in Albany.

Meanwhile, Ms. Eve’s campaign manager, Frances Lalas, said Ms. Eve “still believes in the office and remains a candidate for lieutenant governor.” When asked whether Ms. Eve would stay in the race, Ms. Lalas said: “Today she is a candidate.”

A former lieutenant governor under Governor Pataki, Betsy McCaughey, who clashed with her boss, said the real question is whether the next lieutenant governor will have any power.

“The question Eliot Spitzer needs to be asked is, ‘Are you going to break with the state’s tradition of marginalizing the lieutenant governor if you’re elected or are you actually going to use this person in a meaningful way?'” she said.