Obama just had to get involved in the NY-Sen primary to clear the field for one-term backbench Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand. She must be so popular that the general election will be a total walk, right?

In what could be one of the most hotly contested Senate races in 2010, former New York City Mayor and failed Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is in a statistical dead heat with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a new Zogby IVR poll finds. Forty-five percent prefer Giuliani and 43% side with the incumbent Gillibrand, well within the poll’s 3.2% margin of error.

In another potential match-up Senator Gillibrand holds a slight lead over former Governor George Pataki, 43% to 38%. When asked whether first-term Senator Gillibrand deserves another term as Senator from New York, 32% of likely voters say she should, and 43% say that it is time for someone new.

Gillibrand has been a Senator for less than 10 months, yet by a score of 43-32, those polled think that it is time for someone new. It’s so awesome that no other Democrat can compete for that 43% because Obama actively cleared the field (made up of experienced New Yorkers with their own distinct constituencies) for Gillibrand.

But hey, what does Obama need majorities in Congress for anyway?