Caroline Kennedy ends Senate bid: reports

Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg speaks at the fifth annual John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards ceremony at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts November 24, 2008.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Caroline Kennedy told New York Gov. David Paterson on Wednesday that she is withdrawing from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate, New York media reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

Kennedy, the daughter of slain President John F. Kennedy, has never held public office but launched an unusual public campaign to replace Clinton, who was sworn in on Wednesday as President Barack Obama's secretary of state and immediately afterward resigned from the Senate..

The New York governor's office made no immediate comment and a spokesman for Kennedy could not be reached.

Paterson had said he would wait until Clinton resigns from the Senate before naming a replacement.

The New York Times reported that Kennedy's decision to withdraw was prompted by concerns about the heal of her uncle, Sen. Edwad Kennedy, who was hospitalized after a seizure during an inaugural lunch for Obama on Tuesday.

Kennedy's withdrawal would leave New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as a front-runner for the job. Cuomo is a former cabinet secretary under President Bill Clinton and the son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.

The New York Times said Paterson is expected to announce on Saturday whom he has selected for the Senate seat.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)