New York Voters Want Gov. Paterson to Stay in Office

Despite recent ethical controversies, New York voters want David Paterson to remain in office. According to a Siena poll, Paterson's approval ratings have fallen below their already terrible levels, but voters do not want him to resign, nor do they want the legislature to impeach him:

Fifty-five percent of voters polled said Paterson should serve through the end of December, while 37 percent would prefer to see him step down and let LG Richard Ravitch lead.

An even larger majority - 71 percent - said Paterson shouldn't be impeached by the Legislature if he makes good on his pledge to stick around.

If the polls remain at this level, I suspect that Paterson will stay on the job through December.