We're seeing something happen these days that's a welcome change from cycles past: Democrats reaching out to our contenders for legislative seats and putting their muscle, and their name, behind the young blood.

For example, Hillary Clinton, not a woman with a particularly open schedule these days, has endorsed - and campaigned for Eric Massa, Dan Maffei, Brian Foley, Kristen McElroy, Don Barber, and others up and down the food chain. Similarly, Governor Paterson - the subject of much grumbling in the political class in the summer due to his attempts to play nice with Skelos - has raised money for Dollinger, Foley, Addabbo, and others. All of this is announced in a daily stream of email releases.

What could bring our normally fractious Democrats together like that? Bright red oozing billows of blood in the water, for one thing; the other side has never had a weaker bench or a worse environment. This is the endgame, the final battle for New York; and I think we're going to win.

Via Liz, the field just cleared in the crucial SD-15 race against incumbent Senator and anti-choice nutball Serph Maltese.

Democratic sources confirm Albert Baldeo, who came within some 800 votes of ousting veteran Republican Sen. Serphin Maltese in 2006, will throw his support to the Democratic establishment candidate, Councilman Joe Addabbo, this afternoon and stop campaigning.

Techincally speaking, Baldeo can't officially drop out of the race since it's too late to remove his name from the primary ballot.

The formal announcement will be made at 3 p.m. at Baldeo's law offices on Liberty Avenue. Also expected to attend are Addabbo, Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, Rep. Greg Meeks and Queens Democratic Chairman Joe Crowley.

This is not good news for Maltese, who is one of the Democrats' top targets as they try to take control of the Senate from the GOP this fall. Baldeo had threatened to remain in the general election on a third party line, which could have made a difference in a contest that's expected to be very close.

Sweet. Personally, while I'm not fond of any republican Senator, I'd suggest that Serph Maltese is the most odious toad in the entire legislature. He's probably the biggest enemy of women's rights in the legislature, and despite the fact that the "Right to Life" movement in this state is practically moribund, he still manages to be their tool. That deserves a special level of loathing.