Gov. Paterson says he won't run for Rangel's seat

Outgoing New York Gov. David Paterson (D) said he has no plans to run for Rep. Charles Rangel's (D) Harlem seat.

"I don't want to be a political retread," Paterson said while hosting a morning radio show on WOR in New York. "I'm happy to step aside and let some other people run the state and that district where Congressman Rangel represents right now."

Paterson, who ascended to the Empire State's top job in the wake of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s resignation, named state Assemblyman Keith Wright and City Councilwoman Inez Dickens as possible successors to Rangel, who was censured Thursday by the House for ethics violations.

The Democrat also predicted that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) would make a bid for the White House in 2012.

If the GOP nominates a conservative candidate such as Mike Huckabee or Sarah Palin, Bloomberg could take the "wide open middle" as an independent moderate, Paterson said, according to the New York Daily News.

"I think the mayor's doing the right thing. He's not forcing the issue or drawing attention to himself. He is watching and positioning just in case so he would have that option," he said. "If the situation presented itself, he’s been a risk taker and a very successful entrepreneur and an elected official. I think he would take the shot."

A recent poll showed a Bloomberg run could help President Obama's reelection prospects.