Paterson Will Not Run for Congress

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Former Gov. David Paterson says he's ending his public consideration of running for Congress to succeed Rep. Charles Rangel.

In a statement issued earlier this week Paterson also urged fellow Democrat Rangel to seek another term in 2014. The senior congressman represents Harlem.

Paterson was the state's lieutenant governor when he succeeded Gov. Eliot Spitzer who resigned in 2008 amid a prostitution scandal.

After warning of the coming recession and making deep cuts that angered public unions amid his falling popularity, Paterson chose not to run for a full term in 2010. New York's first black and legally blind governor then endorsed fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo for governor.

Paterson once considered appointing himself as U.S. senator when Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State, but he ultimately chose Kirsten Gillibrand.