Spitzer Scandal: His Possible Successor

In the wake of the prostitution scandal involving New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, attention may now turn to the No. 2 state official, Lt. Gov. David Paterson.

Paterson, 53, was elected with Spitzer on the Democratic ticket in November 2006, the first African-American to serve as one of the top two state officials. Born legally blind, he is a former state senator who represented Harlem and other parts of northern Manhattan. He is the son of former New York Secretary of State Basil Paterson, a longtime city politician.