Paterson to Run, Despite White House Request

It's been reported that President Barack Obama has asked an increasingly embattled Gov. David Paterson to bow out of the 2010 New York governor's race. On Sunday, however, Paterson said he plans to run anyway.

While not mentioning Barack Obama, David Paterson announced, after serving as grand marshal to the African-American Day Parade in Manhattan:

"My plans for 2010 are to run for governor of the state of New York. I am running for office."

Paterson took over from an already controversial Governor, Eliot Spitzer. Spitzer was forced to resign in the wake of a prostitution scandal. Paterson was sworn in as governor of New York on March 17, 2008.

Pressure is coming from Washington because of Paterson's low approval rating and poll numbers. There are also concerns from other Democrats that he might hurt their chances in 2010.

Meanwhile, if Paterson were to drop out of the race, there would be a clear path for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination. Andrew Cuomo, has been polling well in recent months, with 67% of New Yorkers believing he should run. Additionally, his father Mario served three terms as governor, giving him a "leg up."

Here's the bad news for Paterson vs. Cuomo: last week a Marist College poll found him with a 20 percent approval rating, compared with 21 percent in June. Only 24 percent of Democrats felt he was doing well. Seventy percent of voters said Paterson isn't a viable candidate for 2010, including 65 percent of Democrats.

Meanwhile, Cuomo's job approval rating is 69 percent. At the same time, 67 percent of New Yorkers felt he should run for governor, including 77 percent of Democrats.