The Dwindling Challenge to Gillibrand

One by one, Kirsten Gillibrand’s potential Democratic challengers are removing themselves from the race. Steve Israel, who seemed moments away from jumping in just a week ago, pulled the plug last Friday, while Scott Stringer backed out on Tuesday.
 
Their decisions, of course, came under considerable duress, with Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer pushing hard to clear the field for Gillibrand. The number of credible prospective challengers is now down to two: Carolyn Maloney and Carolyn McCarthy, and there’s really no chance that both of them will run.
 
Between the two, Maloney is the only one who really wants to join the race.