Is Openly Gay NY Sen. Thomas Duane Joining The Defectors?

Curiouser and curiouser. The New York Times is now reporting that openly gay NY Sen. Thomas Duane may be joining the ranks of Democrats defecting to support new Majority Leader Dean Skelos. Duane is the sponsor of the Senate's marriage equality bill.

One of the senators who is believed to be considering breaking ranks with the Senate Democratic conference, Thomas K. Duane of Manhattan, would not say where he planned to cast his political allegiance. “I am not considering anything but trying to get passed all the legislation I’ve spent my whole life fighting for,” he said. Mr. Duane, who did not attend meetings with his Democratic colleagues on Tuesday, said he had spent all day in discussions with senators from both parties. Mr. Duane is the sponsor of legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York. He has been working to garner the 32 votes necessary to pass the bill, and said he would continue to do so.

GOP leaders are claiming that more Dem defections are coming. Time is running out on the current session and no work at all has been done in the Senate this week as internal squabbling over the leadership coup continues.