(CNN) - If New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson stands to become the first African-American governor of the state and the fourth in U.S. history.
Paterson, 53, is legally blind, and although documentation is scarce, it is widely believed that he would be the nation's first blind governor.
Paterson was first elected to the New York State Senate in 1985, where he represented the 30th District, encompassing Harlem, East Harlem and the Upper West Side.
Related: New York Minority Leader James Tedisco urges Spitzer to make a hasty decision.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Barack Obama's presidential campaign took some of its most pointed jabs to date at Hillary Clinton's claim of experience, circulating a memo to reporters Tuesday morning from former Clinton State Department official Greg Craig that suggests the New York senator uses "false charges and exaggerated claims to play politics with national security."
"When your entire campaign is based upon a claim of experience, it is important that you have evidence to support that claim," Craig, an Obama supporter, says in the memo. "Hillary Clinton's argument that she has passed 'the Commander- in-Chief test' is simply not supported by her record."
Craig served as director of policy planning at the State Department during former President Bill Clinton's second term.
The sharply worded memo follows similarly charged words from many Obama surrogates in recent days as the Illinois senator's presidential campaign appears to be seeking to alter the perception - shown in Ohio and Texas exit polls - that Clinton is more ready to be Commander-in-Chief.
The memo also references Clinton's now-famous 3 a.m. ad - increasingly viewed as keys to her wins in Texas and Ohio - and says the commercial and her claim to foreign policy credentials "consists of nothing more than making the assertion, repeating it frequently to the voters and hoping that they will believe it."
The memo was released ahead of an Obama campaign conference call with Iraq war veteran and Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy, as well as other Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
Reacting to the memo and campaign conference call, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said, "It’s tough to see how Senator Obama can tout his commitment to the military when he couldn’t be bothered to hold a single policy hearing on Afghanistan. Considering that Senator Obama’s record is just words, it’s no wonder that voters are having doubts about his readiness to be commander-in-chief."
– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney
(CNN) - It's an idea that's increasingly getting kicked around, especially by one campaign in particular.
The prospect of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama running on the same ticket has long been the subject of speculation, even before voters started weighing in at the polls earlier this year.
But following Clinton's wins in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island last week - a trifecta of victories that essentially salvaged her presidential hopes - the New York senator and her surrogates have repeatedly raised the issue themselves; raised it so often, in fact, that Obama made sure to shoot down the idea at a campaign event in Mississippi Monday.
"I want everybody to be absolutely clear," he said. "I'm not running for vice president. I'm running for president of the United States of America."
"This kind of gamesmanship, talking about me as VP but not ready for commander-in-chief, that's exactly the kind of doublespeak, double-talk that Washington is very good at," Obama added.
Obama isn't the only one who thinks Clinton has something up her sleeve when she raises the issue. CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley says the Illinois senator's campaign clearly recognizes its rival benefits from the increased speculation of a joint ticket.
"They understand that this is a way for the Clinton campaign to play some politics here," Crowley said. "If you suggest to voters, who might have some question about Barack Obama's experience, but they like his message of hope and change, that they could have both, and that maybe he could get eight years of seasoning, that's the suggestion here."(Watch Candy Crowley's analysis of Dem dream ticket talk)
Obama's comments Monday followed a week in which the prospect of a joint ticket was pushed by Clinton or a member of her campaign on at least four different occasions. Clinton herself raised the issue twice - once with a CBS interviewer on the morning after her March 4 primary wins, and on Friday during a campaign stop in Mississippi.
"I've had people say, 'Well I wish I could vote for both of you,'" she said. "Well, that might be possible some day. But first I need your vote on Tuesday."
Watch Hillary Clinton dance with a choir in Pennsylvania
(CNN)—Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton began a two day sweep through Pennsylvania Monday.
While in Cranston, the New York senator took a step back from serious campaigning and showed off some her dance moves with a local choir.
After today’s vote in Mississippi, Pennsylvania’s April 22 primary is the next critical Democratic contest with 158 delegates up for grabs.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The allegations bearing down on New York's governor didn't start with a prostitute - despite lurid details in a federal affidavit detailing an alleged tryst with a "very pretty brunette" named Kristen last month.
Rather, sources familiar with the investigation said Tuesday that Gov. Eliot Spitzer's troubles began with a federal money-laundering probe.
Prosecutors unsealed an affidavit that details a rendezvous in a Washington hotel room between a prostitute and "Client 9," who a source with knowledge of the case said Monday was Spitzer.
Related: New York Congressman Peter King urges Spitzer to take responsibility for his actions
(CNN) - One of the most Republican states in the nation takes center stage Tuesday in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Mississippi, which has not voted for a Democratic candidate in a presidential election in 32 years, holds a Democratic primary Tuesday.
With the campaigns of Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois battling for every delegate, the political spotlight is on a state not used to being the center of such attention.
CNN's Jason Carroll reports New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is on the hot seat. (Getty Images)
NEW YORK (CNN) - Before Monday, Eliot Spitzer was a rising star in the Democratic Party - his squeaky-clean image as a corruption buster led to his being mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate and possibly even a future White House contender.
Now, after federal investigators have linked the New York governor to a top-dollar prostitution ring, political advisers are split over whether Spitzer has any political future at all.
"There's no way he can survive it," said Ed Rollins, a Republican political consultant and adviser to former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. "All the facts aren't out there, but as they're being reported, there's no way you can survive.
Compiled by Jonathan Helman
CNN Washington Bureau
Clarion Ledger: Clinton Or Obama? Mississippi's Time
A close race between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama will draw more voters to the polls today in Mississippi than the last presidential primary, Mississippi state officials predict.
Washington Post: Ticket-Sharing Talk Dominates Day's Campaign Activity
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama hardly sounded like potential running mates Monday, with Obama accusing his rival of "gamesmanship" and the campaigns sparring over who is more qualified to be commander in chief.
AP: McCain Plans Trio Of Tours For Voters To Re-Examine Him
Sen. John McCain is finding out what the Republican presidential nomination is worth this week. Then he plans to buff his foreign policy credentials, remind the nation of his long military history and try to frame the issues for the November election — in three separate tours while his two Democratic opponents continue to struggle for their party's nomination.
Biloxi Sun Herald: Obama Hopes For Win In Mississippi
Mississippi Democrats are deciding the last in a series of presidential contests between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton before the two rivals settle in for a six-week battle to win Pennsylvania.
Compiled by Jonathan Helman, CNN Washington Bureau
Tonight is the Mississippi Primary.
*Hillary Clinton attends rallies in Harrisburg and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*John McCain holds two town hall meetings in St. Louis, Missouri.
*Barack Obama holds a town hall meeting in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
(CNN)— The political world - inside and outside New York, Republican and Democratic - was rocked Monday by reports of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a prostitution ring.
In the latest episode of CNN=Politics Daily, Mary Snow reports on the Spitzer scandal and Kelli Arena reports on the ongoing criminal investigation into the prostitution ring that has ensnared Spitzer and his political career.
Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley is on the campaign trail in Jackson, Mississippi and reports on how Sen. Barack Obama has responded to the Clinton campaign's repeated suggestions that he would make a suitable vice presidential running mate to Sen. Clinton.
Suzanne Malveaux is also out on the trail in Pennsylvania - the next big delegate prize in the Democratic race. But, before Pennsylvania's primaries, the Democratic Party is looking back to past primaries in Florida and Michigan. Malveaux explains what the party may do to allow delegates from both states to participate in the convention and play a role in deciding whether Clinton or Obama will face off against Sen. John McCain.
Finally, Dana Bash reports on McCain's comments Monday about his health.
Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.
–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart
From CNN Politics
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