| After weeks of speculation that she would enter the race and challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a primary, it appears that Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will not run for the U.S. Senate, citing her seniority in the House as the main reason why it was a tough decision to make.
From the New York Times:
A person close to Mrs. Maloney, a Democrat from Manhattan, said she made her decision not to run after days of agonizing over the fact that running meant she would have to leave her current job at a point when she had significant seniority in Congress.
"It's been a tough decision for her," said the Maloney associate who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.
Mrs. Maloney's decision potentially clears the path for Ms. Gillibrand, who Gov. David A. Paterson picked to fill Hillary Clinton's vacant seat in January, for the Democratic party's nomination in the race for United States Senate next year.
The reality is that Maloney is a key member of the New York congressional delegation and losing her in the House would lose us everything she has worked hard for. Much like losing Congressman Steve Israel would have cost us a key political figure and a key member of the delegation, losing Maloney to the Senate, where she would have been one of, if not the junior member of the upper house.
But the signs were there that this wasn't going to be a good move for Maloney. She made it known on more than one occasion that she would announce her candidacy only to delay such an announcement. Her delay made today a possibility. Because with every announcement to push her candidacy back came speculation that maybe she just wasn't interested in running for a seat that would have her starting all over again in a new house.
I also think that today is a win for Gillibrand. There are obvious reasons, but also some not-so obvious reasons. Maloney had been pushing some talking points against Gillibrand that tried to paint Gillibrand as this conservative upstater who wasn't worthy of representing a state that is more progressive than the congressional district Gillibrand once represented. Gillibrand has made it a point since being named the junior U.S. senator to raise her progressive profile and show that she has always had the progressive credentials critics have questioned.
In the end, those talking points didn't gain any traction. They were all debunked by what Gillibrand is doing in the U.S. Senate.
We need our best leaders in Congress. A Gillibrand-Maloney primary would have robbed us of two great women who are in great positions to better New York. Gillibrand is a rising star in D.C. and will continue to serve the best interests of New York. Maloney has been a key leader in D.C. for many years and has been behind some key legislation, including the recent credit card reform bill, that has left a great mark on our state and country.
We need them both in Washington D.C. There was no need for them to fight it out. We need both where they are right now to serve our best interests. |
