Biden phones Maloney

June

Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s possible announcement that she will enter a Democratic primary next year against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand apparently has drawn the attention of the White House.

Vice President Joe Biden phoned Maloney on Wednesday, according to Elizabeth Alexander, Biden’s spokeswoman. She denied a report in The Hill newspaper saying Biden had met one-on-one with Maloney earlier this week during the vice president’s visit to New York.

Alexander said in an e-mail she did not know what Biden and Maloney discussed. But last month, the White House intervened to persuade Rep. Steve Israel of Dix Hills, Long Island, to drop plans for a primary race against Gillibrand.

Presidential chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, met privately with Israel at the White House on May 13 to urge him to stay in the House. And President Barack Obama phoned Israel two days later to appeal for party unity. Hours later, Israel announced he would not run.

Maloney, of Manhattan, may now be facing the same pressure.

Congressional Quarterly reported Wednesday that Maloney was planning to announce her candidacy for Senate on her campaign Web site Thursday. Members of the New York congressional delegation denied that, but a spokesman for one indicated Maloney had asked supporters to film video endorsements for use on her Web site.

Maloney has said in media interviews that she is considering a Senate primary, but she had not set a date to announce a decision.

Speculation the nine-term lawmaker was close to deciding surged after she hired a fundraiser and public relations firm.

The PR firm, Manhattan-based Knickerbocker SKD, represented former first daughter Caroline Kennedy in her unsuccessful bid to be appointed to the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Kennedy was passed over by Gov. David Paterson, who instead appointed Gillibrand, a 42-year-old attorney and native of the Albany area first elected to the House in 2006.

Maloney’s fundraiser is Cynthia “Cindy” Darrison of Manhattan-based Darrison Barrett & Associates.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 4th, 2009 at 2:05 pm by Brian Tumulty.
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Biden phones Maloney

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