Maloney won’t challenge Gillibrand

The New York Times is reporting that Rep. Carolyn Maloney will soon announce that she’s not running for the Senate seat now held by Kirsten Gillibrand.

An aide to Maloney previously said the downstate Rep. would challenge Gillibrand in a state-wide primary.

Gillibrand was appointed to the seat by Governor Paterson after Hillary Clinton was named U.S. Secretary of State.

Democrats in Washington have been trying to pave the way for Gillibrand’s election to the seat. Weeks ago, President Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel called another downstate Representative, Steve Israel, asking him not to challenge Gillibrand.

Maloney’s expected departure would–at least for now–clear the decks of any Democratic challenger to Gillibrand’s 2010 campaign.

Here’s a link to the NYTimes story.