WPIX, Others Say Gillibrand Will Go to Senate

Despite the protestations of Wayne Barrett and Carolyn McCarthy, among others, it looks as if Governor Paterson is going with Kirsten Gillibrand. The Times says he's "leaning" toward her; WPIX "confirms" it; Politico's Glenn Thrush says it "looks like" Gillibrand. After the mad leaks of last night over Kennedy's withdrawal, it seems reasonable to take these apparent leaks seriously. But the process has been full of tricks, and you never know when the folks in Albany will choose to fool the press instead of each other.

Update: Well, no denials so far, and lots of other outlets carry the story. Daily Gotham's Liza Sabater isn't happy. "Carolyn Kennedy's bid was nepotistically stupid while the 'informal' opposition to Congresswoman's Nydia Velazquez' appointment is thisclose to racist," she says. "Then you have Congresswomen McCarthy, Carolyn Maloney and Nita Lowey as good choices but ageism always wins out. If Cuomo weren't such a douche, he probably would have been appointed a long time ago."

Update 2: Pam's House Blend notes Gillibrand's conservative bona fides, as does RedState's Dan McLaughlin, though he expects her to "drift leftward in the Senate." Gillibrand has indeed been known to tack left, so maybe liberals' best hope is that, once she no longer represents only the 20th District, the lay of the land continues to push her in that direction.