ALBANY, N.Y., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Political observers say New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is lobbying to fill U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's seat if it becomes vacant.
Clinton is said to be President-elect Barack Obama's pick for secretary of state. If her seat opens, Gov. David A. Paterson has the sole authority to pick her replacement, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Advisers to Paterson told the Times Wednesday that Cuomo is behind news stories and political gossip proclaiming him the best choice for the Senate seat.
"He is not being helpful," one Paterson adviser, speaking anonymously, said of Cuomo.
Publicly, Cuomo has declined to talk about his political ambitions, while Paterson, at a news conference, said he already is tired of being asked about a seat that isn't even vacant.
"My first thought was that I wanted to get this over with quickly enough so that I can answer the phone and answer at press conferences and talk about something else," Paterson said Wednesday.
