Kennedy withdraws bid for Senate seat

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-22 21:55

Paterson has asked potential candidates to respond to a 28-page questionnaires. The forms ask about personal finances and other background issues, many of which Kennedy has long shielded from the public.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference in New York August 7, 2008. Kennedy's decision to withdraw her quest for the US Senate seat boosted the chances of several other candidates, including Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who surpassed Kennedy in statewide polls last week. [Agencies]

Kennedy, an author, lawyer and fundraiser for New York City schools, has long guarded her privacy, and the questionnaires were expected to include some closely guarded Kennedy financial data. Paterson had said he thought the candidates' responses would be confidential because it was his personal request that they fill them out.

But the state's open-government expert and good-government groups told the AP that once the forms were written and submitted to the governor at least some of the responses would be subject to public review under the state Freedom of Information Law.

Kennedy jumped to the top of statewide polls in early December, but her public support waned following a brief upstate tour and a few press interviews.

She was criticized as reluctant to answer questions, and her knowledge of New York and its issues were suspect. She was also mocked nationwide for her frequent use of "you know" and "um" in interviews and was branded a lackluster campaigner.

In addition to Cuomo, other contenders include Reps. Carolyn Maloney, of New York City, and Steve Israel, of Long Island, along with a strong upstate candidate, Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, whose district runs along the Hudson Valley. Other hopefuls among the 10 or 20 Paterson said were under consideration include US Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Brian Higgins and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.

The Kennedy reports came hours after Maloney, some Democrats' top choice, was named chair of the Joint Economic Committee in Congress. That's a significant move because Paterson had made it clear the next senator's top job should be to help land a federal stimulus package to help New York out of its historic fiscal crisis.

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