Maltese on Bloomberg 2010 and John McCain in N.Y.

Here's Republican State Senator Serph Maltese of Queens, who barely won re-election two years ago, talking about how happy he would be to have Michael Bloomberg face off against Eliot Spitzer in the 2010 governor's race.

He also seems to tone down expectations for Rudy Giuliani's performance in New York State, saying the the Republicans won't lose their state Senate majority if Rudy loses, because "just about everybody" he's talked to thinks "John McCain is an acceptable second."

Earlier today, Liz reported an email from McCain's New York people, who are looking to start ramping up operations and recruiting volunteers.