Via NY political junkie Ben Smith:

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean will be the latest in a parade of left-leaning supporters for Senator Kristen Gillibrand, who may face a challenge from her left next year.

Dean will endorse her today, a source said, tying his backing to her suport for a public health insurance option.

At this point in the cycle, I'm not sure how productive it is to wage a primary challenge against Gillibrand, especially when she's comfortable leading on issues like health care and the repeal of DADT. If the goal of a primary challenge from the left is to pull the incumbent left (or to just keep them honest) I'm not sure the potential margin is all that significant in New York.

But I fully understand the frustration folks feel when the national party bigfoots primaries - it's why I'm excited about Joe Sestak.

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by Lindsay Beyerstein, TMC Mediawire Blogger

Of all the hurdles facing healthcare reform in 2009, the U.S. Senate is arguably the most formidable. But the prospects for passing a healthcare bill this year have brightened noticeably over the past few days, thanks to a senate seat pickup in Minnesota, solidifying support for the budget reconciliation strategy, and tentative overtures towards bipartisanship from key Republicans.

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