In case you haven't noticed, we just updated the Table of Success for the final time, with a few key new additions to our rolodex of Mayor Eric Adams's inner circle of confidants and allies. David Paterson is one of those additions. He's really done it all—governor, head of the state Democratic party, MTA board member, casino executive, radio host, etc. Through much of it, he's stayed close to Eric Adams, even as they were both ensnarled in a casino bid scandal back in 2010. For being a mainstay in NYC politics, Paterson doesn't exactly have the greatest instincts. Paterson supported Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, then shifted over to Adams for the general...and then back to Cuomo again after he dropped out. Also, he's married to Curtis Sliwa's ex-wife. Suffice to say, the man is fascinating! Check out his full entry here.
In 2021, former Governor David Paterson didn’t play a huge role in the Democratic mayoral primary, but he did endorse his long-time pal Eric Adams, describing him as a unifier of Democrats in the city.
“Eric Adams has been to the most diverse places in the city,” Paterson said at the time. “He has sought support from every community. He has sought support from communities that sometimes have been antagonistic to each other, but they both trust him.”
He shared a similar message to the New York Times shortly before Adams was elected: “You know who was ringing my phone saying, ‘You’ve got to endorse Eric’? It wasn’t African Americans. It was people I knew in the Orthodox community in Brooklyn.”
He added, “This should be a very interesting experience for us, having him as mayor.”
Paterson would know, given that their relationship stretched back decades to when Adams was a state senator and Paterson was the lieutenant governor, and then governor after Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008.
David Paterson Sure Can't Pick ‘Em
The former governor ping-ponged between candidates this mayoral election...and all of them lost.
