Maloney won’t launch primary against Gillibrand

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) will not challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a primary, the NY Times is reporting.

A person close to Mrs. Maloney, a Democrat from Manhattan, said she made her decision not to run after days of agonizing over the fact that running meant she would have to leave her current job at a point when she had significant seniority in Congress.

“It’s been a tough decision for her,” said the Maloney associate who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter.

Maloney was the last potential challenger for Gillibrand after Reps. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) backed out. Both were reportedly pressured by the White House to stay out of the race.

Gillibrand was appointed by Gov. David Paterson (D-N.Y.) to fill Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat. Gillibrand’s conservative stance on gun issues–the NRA endorsed her during her bid for re-election to eh House–have angered some liberals.