Senate Shakeup

Following the escape of four Senators from the Democratic Conference, Senator Neil Breslin remains hopeful that they'll come back.
It was shortly after 10 a.m. that Senators Jeff Klein, Diane Savino, David Carlucci and David Valesky announced that they were leaving the Democratic Conference to form their own Independent Democratic Conference .
"I hope we convince them that they're part of a team," said Breslin. He argued that if the Democrats all stick together they'll be back in the majority.
Breslin, who is a moderate, said he wasn't approached by the four Senators about joining their Conference. He said he wasn't surprised either, because they know he is part of a team (The Democratic Dodgers?). As part of a team, Breslin said it is your duty to stick it out when you don't agree with the direction and try to change things internally.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see what role the new Conference has on the floor. Additionally, I'm wondering who the next floor leader will be for the Dems, as Klein is probably losing that post. It will probably be a lawyer, with one person close to the state Senate suggesting it could be freshman Senator Mike Gianaris.