Gillibrand May Be In as Kennedy Fallout Continues

Two congressional sources are telling WPIX that Governor Paterson will announce tomorrow that he is naming upstate Representative Kirsten Gillibrand as our next Senator. Gillibrand represents a rural district including parts of the Adirondacks, Catskills and Hudson Valley. She has described her own voting record as "one of the most conservative in the state" and is known for being a staunch supporter of gun rights (raising the ire of fellow Dem Carolyn McCarthy) and voting against both versions of the $700 billion bailout.

The twenty-four hour saga of Caroline Kennedy withdrawing her candidacy as a possible Senate replacement to Hillary Clinton has brought on more drama than anyone expected in what's already been a heated, drawn-out process. The latest word from Governor Paterson confirms that Kennedy called him yesterday afternoon saying that "the decision was hers alone" to take herself out as a contender due to "personal reasons" (that apparently was not related to her Uncle Ted's health status). Paterson asked Kennedy to take a full twenty-four hours to sleep on her decision. But by evening, she called back to say that she was certain she wanted out.

CBS is disputing an earlier Times report saying that the personal issue was not related to taxes or a housekeeper. Many are reporting that it may have involved marital strife, that as a source tells Politicker NY, there were "growing concerns from her husband, Ed Schlossberg, that the Senate job and her moving to Washington would threaten to disrupt their family." Those close to Kennedy say were confident that she was about to be named senator and were completely unaware of the personal issue that arose at 1 p.m. yesterday.

Paterson may be announcing his new (or original?) selection as soon as tomorrow. Naturally eyes turned to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who has received the second-most amount of attention and speculation throughout the process. One Democratic strategist told Fox News, "The governor's pick will likely come down to who can raise the most money and who can help him the best when he runs again for New York governor." With Kennedy out, Cuomo would likely fit that bill.

But despite the weeks of "Cuomo vs. Caroline" hype, Gillibrand emerged as the leading candidate throughout the day today. She is reportedly telling Washington colleagues that she believes she will be tapped by Governor Paterson. During a press conference today, Mayor Bloomberg continued to show his support for his friend Caroline despite the fct that neither he nor Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey has spoken to her in the last few weeks. Bloomberg said that he had never met Gillibrand and when asked about her chances of succeeding Clinton, Bloomberg said, "You'll have to ask the governor, I don't know whether she was on his list or not. If I were him I wouldn't take your call."