The Eye

Fife, meanwhile, dismissed the rumors, circulating in Washington, D.C., and New York, that Maloney's delay of her announcement indicates she is backing away from a bid. "All buzz," he characterized it. "People buzz."

While questions linger over Maloney's plans, her prospective primary rival, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, continues her aggressive pursuit of Democratic party stakeholders. On Thursday, her campaign announced the endorsement of the Civil Service Employees Union, New York's largest public employees union representing nearly 300,000 members. Organized labor has not been as quick to rally around Gillibrand as others, like women's groups, but as the latest nod shows, she's making headway, having also nailed down the support of the influential New York State United Teachers, among several others.

Gillibrand is also carrying water on the legislative priorities of other important progressive constituencies. Last week she announced she had succeeded in convincing the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings on the Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell policy prohibiting gays in the military from identifying their sexual orientation.

And Thursday, she was touted by New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez as a partner on two pieces of legislation to regulate the detention and treatment of alleged illegal immigrants, which will no doubt be received well by New York's large and vocal immigrant groups. Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is responsible for getting incumbent Democrats re-elected, conducted a conference call with the human rights group Amnesty International this morning to discuss the legislation; Gillibrand was not present on the call.