In this series, which started in July ‘08, wowOwow follows the political news swirling around Caroline Kennedy since her surprise endorsement of Barack Obama and high-profile placement on his VP selection committee. Now, Caroline is ready to launch a political career of her own. With the Caroline Kennedy Candidacy Watch, we’ll follow all the latest news. 

Caroline Kennedy may not officially be running a Senate campaign, but her effort certainly has all the backroom drama of one.

Kennedy’s advisers are now telling Kevin Sheekey to halt his lobbying efforts on her behalf, saying they’re hurting her more than helping. Sheekey is New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s deputy and has been calling labor and other groups, telling them to get on board with Kennedy’s candidacy.

"There had been huge missteps in the way [City Hall] constructed this," a source involved in the Kennedy effort to muzzle Sheekey, told the Daily News. "It’s just a dialing down of anything that would be harmful to her."

"Everything was backfiring," one source told the New York Post of Sheekey’s efforts. “They tried to take everybody else out. It didn’t work. They were out there way, way too early."

Sheekey himself is downplaying his lobbying efforts, but says he’ll continue to sing her praises. 

"Caroline Kennedy is a friend of mine," Sheekey told the Daily News. "I’m not doing anything more or anything less than when her name first surfaced. I do hope she’ll become a senator. I think she’d be a great senator."

Many New York Democrats, including Gov. David Paterson, haven’t exactly appreciated having Kennedy forced upon them as the governor tries to decide who will replace Hillary Clinton. There are also fears that Kennedy would be more loyal to the Republican Bloomberg than Paterson if elected.

"I haven’t withdrawn any of my concerns," New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the state’s second most powerful Democrat after Paterson, told the Post after a 45-minute conversation with Kennedy. "It’s clear to me that she is sponsored by the mayor or by Kevin Sheekey … and that’s an issue that [state Democrats have] raised."

Needless to say, there’s a lot of turmoil within the Democratic Party in New York over Kennedy’s candidacy. JFK’s daughter took even more criticism after her weekend interviews with a number of media outlets. Many blasted her for not being too forthcoming with detailed reasons why she should be the next senator from New York, and for not being a smooth talker – all those "ums" and "you knows" didn’t go unnoticed.

But Bloomberg – one of Kennedy’s fiercest advocates — is firing back at those critics. He also lambasted the press for scrutinizing her more than her rivals.

"Caroline Kennedy isn’t just your average person, so people may be a little more critical," he said Tuesday. "If there’s anybody who understands the pain and suffering of having the press criticize how you speak, it is me."

Kennedy is spending a lot of time promoting herself, trying to convince party Democrats and upstate New Yorkers that she’s not just another pretty face from Camelot, and that she does have the experience necessary for the job.

The New York Times interviewed more than a dozen people who know Kennedy or have spoken with her recently about how the famously private Kennedy is dealing with all the publicity. One of those people is Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers – who is also in the running. Click here to read wOw’s interview with Weingarten.

Many agree that Kennedy has not done enough to assuage concerns about her, and for someone trying to fill Clinton’s shoes, she has to try harder.

"She has a lot of work to do, and she has a big hill to climb," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-NY, who is among those advising Paterson on the Senate appointment (also on wOw’s list of 6 other fine women qualified for the job). "She has to convince Governor Paterson that she is the best qualified to advocate for New York in these tough economic times. She has to be an articulate spokesperson, a strong fighter."