Politics on the Hudson

Senate Democrats are increasingly confident that they’ll leave their private conference tonight with the 32 votes needed to take control of the Senate tomorrow and the support to name Malcolm Smith majority leader.

Sources say that the deal was all but finalized late yesterday and will need the full conference’s support later today. The Democrats meet at 6 tonight.

Under the agreement, the Gang of Three would all get leadership positions, but none of the questionable  perks that thwarted an agreement last month.

Sen. Carl Kruger, D-Brooklyn, will be named head of the Senate Finance Committee; Sen. Pedro Espada, D-Bronx, will get a still undetermined leadership position, and Sen. Ruben Diaz, D-Bronx, will be named head of the new Hispanic Caucus within the conference, instead of becoming chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, as initially thought.

A source said Diaz wanted the Hispanic Caucus post instead of the Aging Committee position.

Sen. Jeff Klein, D-Bronx, would remain as deputy majority leader, which is second in command to Smith.

Officials said that Senate Republicans, trying to maintain the majority it’s held since 1965, tried a last-ditch effort to lure the Gang of Three to their side with a similar leadership structure and try to assure them union support in their re-election bids in 2010.

But unions seemed to reject that idea yesterday, and the dissidents apparently are on board with the Democratic majority.

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