Big names waiting in the wings?

Nov 17, 2008 (Times Union - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- NYT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- If Sen. Hillary Clinton's possible exit from the Senate to join an Obama administration becomes reality, New York state may soon find itself with yet another unelected official serving in statewide office, picked by the man who was most recently tapped for service out of the election cycle: Gov. David Paterson.

News reports over the weekend confirmed that Sen. Hillary Clinton is on the short list to become president-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state. If she is offered the position and accepts it, New York state would have four of its most prominent offices occupied by individuals who were not elected to them, or vacant.

The three offices currently being held by unelected replacements or sitting vacant are: the office of governor, which Paterson took over when former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal; the office of lieutenant governor, which was vacated by Paterson and has no constitutional mechanism for succession; and the state comptroller, now occupied by Thomas DiNapoli, who was appointed after former Comptroller Alan Hevesi resigned after admitting to using state resources for personal purposes.

As governor, Paterson would choose the person to fill the vacancy left if Clinton were to move on. Paterson has not given any indication of who he might pick, but the appointment would present an opportunity for personal political benefit as he seeks to win his own term as the bona fide elected governor of New York in 2010.

Since news broke Thursday evening of Clinton's meeting in Chicago with Obama -- in which, according to news reports, Obama and Clinton discussed the State Department position as well as other potential opportunities in the Obama administration -- speculation about who the governor should pick and why was the parlor game of choice around the Capitol.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported today that Obama's advisers have begun reviewing former President Bill Clinton's finances and activities to see whether they would preclude the appointment of his wife as secretary of state.

The examination of the former president suggests how seriously Obama is considering bringing his onetime rival for the Democratic presidential nomination into his Cabinet.

A team of lawyers trying to facilitate the potential nomination spent the weekend looking into the former president's philanthropic organization, dealings with foreign governments and ties to pharmaceutical companies.

As for Clinton's senate seat, Paterson could legally appoint himself to the position many thought he once coveted before becoming governor. But he could face significant political pushback for leaving the governor's office with no lieutenant governor to replace him, especially after leading the charge to fix the state's worsening fiscal situation. "This is the worst economic crisis in this country since the Great Depression," said Paterson last Wednesday. "That's not an alarming statement, as it may have been when I said it in July. It's now real."

Should Paterson use the selection of a new senator to build goodwill among various constituencies, he would have his pick of groups seeking greater representation.

The governor could pick a replacement from upstate New York to quell fears of downstate political dominance -- particularly since Democrats, led by Queens-based Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith, won the Senate majority earlier this month.

In a statement released Friday, Erie County Democratic Party Chairman Len Lenihan said, "I am firmly of the opinion that any list of proposed candidates must include candidates from Upstate New York. Chief among those most qualified -- and certainly someone I believe should receive strong consideration in such a scenario -- would be Buffalo-area Congressman Brian Higgins." Higgins was elected to Congress in 2004.

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, who won her second term this month and is considered a protege of Clinton's, has also been suggested.

If Paterson wanted to keep the seat occupied by a woman, given Clinton's immense popularity among female voters in the state, he could also consider Rep. Nita Lowey of Westchester County, who was in line to run for Senate in 2000 but stepped aside for Clinton, or Rep. Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan.

Paterson could attempt to appeal to Latino voters throughout the state by nominating a Latino candidate. In recent weeks, the issue has risen to prominence as Senate Democratic "Gang of Three" have called for increased Latino representation in leadership positions in the state and have threatened to vote for a Republican Senate Majority Leader. Latinos make up around 16 percent of the population of New York state, according to 2006 U.S. Census figures. The Latino vote is one that Paterson's predecessors have taken seriously in the past -- former Republican Gov. George Pataki learned Spanish and took positions on issues important to Puerto Rican voters to appeal to Latino voters.

Though it is unclear whether Andrew Cuomo would be interested in the position, Paterson could tap the state's attorney general to fill the Senate vacancy, thus removing a potential gubernatorial rival. Cuomo is widely speculated to have ambitions to run for governor again after a failed 2002 primary bid against Democrat H. Carl McCall, who served as state comptroller.

Other potential candidates who have been suggested, but might not provide an obvious statewide political advantage to Paterson's gubernatorial bid include Long Island Rep. Steve Israel, longtime Manhattan Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Queens Rep. Joseph Crowley, and former gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, who is considered a candidate to be Paterson's running mate in 2010.

Whether Bill Clinton becomes a stumbling block for his wife remains to be seen. The lawyers who looked into his activities this weekend are trying to scrub all aspects of the Clinton foundation's records as quickly as possible, Democratic advisers said. They said the examination was being overseen by the Obama team's personnel counsel, Christine A. Varney, who was Clinton's secretary to the Cabinet and is a partner at Hogan & Hartson, an international law firm

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