Hillary Clinton’s been steering clear of campaign politics since becoming Secretary of State, but the former New York Senator still has a formidable network working behind the scenes. And, according to the New York Times, that network’s aligned itself with Kirsten Gillibrand, the junior Senator who took over Clinton’s seat earlier this year.

Since Ms. Gillibrand was appointed in January, top Clinton aides have signed on to her campaign or Senate staff. Others with ties to Mrs. Clinton have worked to help smooth over rifts with groups that are skeptical of Ms. Gillibrand’s relatively conservative voting record. Some of Mrs. Clinton’s top presidential fund-raisers have joined Ms. Gillibrand’s finance team to help her raise the $70 million or more she will need for the 2010 and 2012 elections.

Significantly, Ms. Gillibrand is also retaining nearly all of Mrs. Clinton’s New York staff, led by Christine E. Falvo, Mrs. Clinton’s state director, and including caseworkers and regional liaisons from Long Island to the North Country.

That means that the all-important work of constituent services will go on almost uninterrupted, even as Ms. Gillibrand keeps up a brutal pace of raising money and traveling.

Though Clinton hasn’t spoken out on the matter, her husband, former President Bill Clinton will appear today at a Gillibrand fundraiser on New York’s Upper East Side. His presence could definitely help, especially because Gillibrand, who hails from upstate, hasn’t built a support group in the state’s urban heart.