Worried Lauer Asks Bill Clinton if NY Gov Hurting Democratic Party

During a wide-ranging interview with Bill Clinton, on Tuesday's "Today" show, about his Clinton Initiative summit, NBC's Matt Lauer wanted to get the former President's advice on whether current New York Governor David Paterson should run again. Lauer, seemingly concerned about the GOP capturing the governorship in New York state, asked Clinton if the unpopular Democrat's reelection bid might "hurt the Democratic Party."

The following exchange was aired on the September 22 "Today" show:

MATT LAUER: Real, real quickly, if you can. You're in New York. The governor here is embattled. His, his popularity ratings are anemic. The White House has suggested he should step aside, he should not run for election next year. Should he run for election or will he hurt the Democratic Party?

BILL CLINTON: I think, first of all, the election is next year, and he's not in good shape now. But I will say this about David Paterson. He is a good man, he has achieved a lot in his life, and the people who really know him tend to really like him and are very, I think that he will do, in the end, what he believes is best for New York. And I think we should trust him to do that. I trust him to do that, and I believe that if he thinks he's got a reasonable chance to win, I think he'll probably run. If he thinks that he, the chances are one in ten or worse, I think he probably won't, but that's up to, I think he'll decide and he'll make a good decision.