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.

What’s it like to compete with a Kennedy? They’ve got the money, the name, the political pull. Some of them even have the looks. Then there’s that whole Camelot thing …

Put it all together and what do you have? A steep, uphill climb for anyone running against a Kennedy for, well, anything. Caroline Kennedy’s no exception.

Although Rep. Carolyn Maloney has been traveling throughout the Empire State meeting with local party leaders and voters, trying to convince them she’s the right person to fill Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat, we don’t hear too much about her, thanks to the media frenzy surrounding Kennedy. Also left in the winter cold is Rep. Steve Israel, D-NY, who is conducting a non-campaign for the seat. Both say it’s completely up to Gov. David Paterson to pick Clinton’s replacement, but they sure would like the job.

"Look, she’s Caroline Kennedy," Israel told The New York Times during a stop in Utica. "And it doesn’t bother me, dissuade me or affect me in the least."

On Monday, after a visit to Rochester, Maloney tried to turn her name non-recognition into an asset.

"If this is a celebrity beauty contest, I am not going to win," Maloney said. "But if people want to look at someone’s record and their service and their work to help people, I think I have a chance."

Maloney told The Hill that she traveled upstate over the weekend to "learn more about the challenges" and to answer the questions of voters there.

"I gained more of an understanding of what’s on people’s minds so that, if I were appointed, I would be better able to hit the ground running," Maloney said. "I heard a great deal about jobs, jobs and jobs."

Meanwhile, it’s pop quiz time for the contenders! The New York Times says Paterson has told Kennedy, Maloney, Israel, Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Nassau County executive Thomas Suozzi to fill out a 28-page questionnaire, which includes questions about their finances, job history and criminal records – if there are any. 

Kennedy came under some criticism recently when she wouldn’t disclose to the press details about her finances (which she is under no obligation to do right now).

But wait — the battle of the other five Senate hopefuls may not be as hard as they thought. A new poll out this week shows that Kennedy’s popularity has taken a "major hit" since she first threw her hat into the ring. Given the choice between Kennedy and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, 58 percent prefer Cuomo to 27 percent for Kennedy. 

"When Caroline Kennedy was first mentioned as a possible Senate appointee there was a lot of enthusiasm among New York Democrats about her," said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. "Her reputation has taken a pretty clear hit over the last month, and if Gov. Paterson does end up appointing her she’s going to have some work to do to overcome this bad first impression she’s made on New York voters." Looks like the tide is turning in the popularity portion of the games, anyway.