Reps. Nydia M. Velazquez and Edolphus Towns endorsed appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s bid for the Democratic Party’s 2010 Senate nomination in New York, narrowing the field of potential endorsements for a possible rival.

In particular, Velazquez’s endorsement is important because Gillibrand has been criticized by Latino officials for her voting record on immigration issues when she represented a swing district in upstate New York in the House of Representatives.

Velazquez is the only Hispanic woman ever to chair a full committee in the House. Towns, who was first elected in 1982, represents a black-majority district in Brooklyn.