Senor Senate Run On Tap

By Elizabeth Benjamin

Dan Senor, a Bush II advisor and husband of CNN's Campbell Brown, is poised to announce his challenge to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand before the week is out, according to multiple sources familiar with his plans.

GOP and Conservative leaders have been encouraging Senor to throw his hat into the ring. His announcement will likely come Wednesday or Thursday.

Senor has been working mostly with Washington, D.C.-based consultants. (The Post reports he's being advised by Jon Lerner, the Club for Growth's pollster). But he recently started reaching out to some New York operatives, talking to Susan Del Percio (communications) and Christina Comer (fundraising).

Del Percio and Comer are both connected to 2006 GOP gubernatorial contender John Faso, who took a pass on running for office this fall, but has been advising Senor on his likely Senate run. (Faso is the co-founder, along with state GOP Chairman Ed Cox, of the conservative PAC New Yorkers for Growth).

Another consultant with ties to Faso, Michael Hook, is working for gubernatorial hopeful Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy as he ramps up his bid for the GOP line. Faso endorsed Levy's run for governor last week.

Senor will be Gillibrand's third formally announced GOP challenger.

Former Port Authority commissioner Bruce Blakeman has been in the running the longest. He announced his candidacy back in January, but has failed to make much of a dent in the junior senator, despite the fact that her standing in the polls is fairly weak.

Former Rep. Joe DioGuardi, best known as the father of "American Idol" judge Kara DioGiardi, announced his challenge to Gillibrand last week. Economist and Bush I advisor David Malpass is expected to announce next month.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/03/senor-senate-run-on-tap.html#ixzz0j03XqeqD