While there is no shortage of fodder for this column on the national scene, recent developments in the Empire State are worthy of comment as well. As a disclaimer, the opinions in this column are solely my personal views.

The star-crossed governorship of David Paterson will clearly end soon (no later than next January 1 at the outside), although no one knows exactly when. The governor announced his intention not to seek election following months of low approval ratings and huge deficits against his presumed challenger in the Democratic primary, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, as well as emerging scandals and controversies, but for the moment he is resisting calls for his resignation (both the Daily News and the New York Post have demanded his ouster.)

Governor Paterson has been buffeted with charges that he was disengaged from his office, that he had shown favoritism in awarding the Aqueduct slots project to politically connected bidders and most recently that he was unduly protective of his top adviser, David Johnson, who has been connected with domestic abuse. The latest charge is that the governor directed two aides to contact a woman who accused Mr. Johnson of abuse. Earlier, there were charges of involvement by both the governor himself and the state police in dissuading the woman from seeking an order of protection against Mr. Johnson.

In some ways, the governor has earned at least some sympathy. Clearly an afterthought on the 2006 Democratic ticket with Eliot Spitzer, Mr. Paterson was suddenly thrust into high office in March 2008 following revelations of Mr. Spitzer’s inexplicable conduct. Mr. Paterson was faced with a very difficult budget situation and made it clear that he favored substantial spending cuts rather than increased taxes. Indeed, last fall the governor rather courageously convened a special session of the legislature in an attempt to bring down spending. Unfortunately, Mr. Paterson has not been able to prevail in budget negotiations, and last year he signed onto a 2009-10 budget with a large spending increase and an array of new taxes.

Still, it is hard to see how the governor can remain effective going forward, especially in light of the continuing state fiscal crisis and another round of very difficult negotiations for the 2010-11 budget due April 1. One would think that that the state’s new lieutenant governor, Richard Ravitch, a seasoned veteran of state government with no elective political aspirations, would be better suited than the wounded governor to work with legislative leaders toward at least a serviceable budget.

Looking forward, the news that Mr. Paterson will not seek election in November is mostly good news for Andrew Cuomo since he likely avoids what could have been a divisive primary against the state’s first African American governor. On the other hand, Mr. Cuomo will now have to weigh in substantively on policy issues (for example, where to cut the budget) where he is unlikely to please everyone.

As for the Republicans, their candidate for governor, Rick Lazio, starts from well behind in the polls and Mr. Cuomo has a strong fundraising operation. Also, the party is somewhat focused on winning back the state senate, absolutely crucial for Republicans next year when Congressional and legislative districts are drawn, and may be diverting some resources to local senate races. Nevertheless, as Scott Brown recently demonstrated, the wind is at the GOP’s back this year and Mr. Lazio certainly could make the race interesting. We’ll just have to see as November of this rather bizarre political year approaches.