Well, it had become increasingly evident in recent weeks that Upper East Side congresswoman Carolyn Maloney probably wouldn't challenge Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a Democratic primary (despite all her previous bluster), and today she finally made it official. But it's not because she fears taking on the Democratic establishment, including Senator Chuck Schumer and President Obama himself, who have lined up their support solidly behind Gillibrand. Quite the opposite! "I make this decision," she said in a statement, "not because I fear a tough political fight, but because I love one" — the one going on in Congress now and always, which is just too magical and fun to miss out on.

Maloney Opts Not To 'Put Politics Before Policy' [Daily Politics/NYDN]