Kirsten Gillibrand

U.S. House, NY

A star to watch. The buzz surrounding Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand from Democratic party leaders has only grown louder since she unseated an entrenched Republican congressman and helped Democrats take control of the House in 2006. Gillibrand secured slots on critical committees like Armed Services and Agriculture. As one of only three freshmen on the influential Democratic Steering Committee, Gillibrand will guide the Democratic agenda and have a say on committee assignments for other members of Congress.

Battle-tested campaigner. As a Democrat, Gillibrand faced an uphill climb defeating a GOP incumbent in New York’s 20th district. But she overcame her opponent’s name recognition and fundraising advantages by campaigning on issues important to her community, such as reducing taxes on middle-class families, finding ways to make college more affordable, increasing fuel efficiency standards, and restoring ethics to Washington.

More About Kirsten Gillibrand

In 2006, attorney Kirsten Gillibrand achieved a spectacular victory, defeating an entrenched Republican congressman and moving this upstate New York seat into the Democratic column. Her victory helped Democrats take control of Congress and she has taken her place as one of its rising stars. But no sooner had she won than Republicans began strategizing on how to defeat her. She enters her first re-election campaign with a bull’s eye on her back, and needs strong support to prepare for a tough race against Sandy Treadwell.

Gillibrand defeated a corrupt GOP incumbent by running on a platform of ethics and accountability, so it’s no surprise that she has taken a leading role in cleaning up the House after a decade of sloppy GOP rule. She lent her support and eloquence to a package of ethics reforms passed during the Democrats’ First 100 Hours legislative marathon, voting to ban gifts, trips, and meals from lobbyists. She has opened up three district offices and goes out into the community to talk directly with her constituents through her “Congress at Your Corner” program. Gillibrand posts her work calendar on the Internet so her constituents can see exactly whom she is meeting with, a gesture the New York Times recognized as “a quiet touch of revolution.”

Gillibrand’s committee assignments will help her maintain a high profile as she seeks re-election. Her slot on the Armed Services Committee lends weight to her opposition to Bush’s proposed troop build-up in Iraq. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, she can shape policy to benefit the 4,000 farms in her district. Gillibrand is one of three freshmen on the Democratic Steering Committee, which charts the legislative agenda and hands out committee assignments.

A top aide to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo during the Clinton administration, Gillibrand is founder and former chair of the Women’s Leadership Forum Network, which encourages political activism among women under 40. Before running for Congress, Gillibrand received assistance from EMILY’s List through the Political Opportunity Program (POP).

Gillibrand’s roots run deep in this Hudson Valley community: her grandmother, a local political icon, founded the Albany County Women’s Democratic Club and served as a powerful role model for Gillibrand’s career. “I grew up in this region,” Gillibrand says. “This is where my husband and I decided to raise our son. By providing honest and ethical representation in Congress, I can build upon its great heritage and make it stronger.”

The Political Situation

Gillibrand defeated a sitting member of Congress in this Republican-leaning district despite being outspent by $1 million. She is taking no chances in 2008 and is getting an early start on her fundraising in anticipation of a strong challenge.

Republicans recruited a more moderate-seeming challenger who will appeal to a wider swath of swing voters in this district, Alexander "Sandy" Treadwell. Treadwell is firmly ensconced in the New York and national GOP establishments, having served as state party chair and a member of the Republican National Committee. An ally of former GOP Gov. George Pataki, Treadwell is independently wealthy and is making a formidable challenge.

Gillibrand’s Democratic colleagues recognize her value to the caucus and the importance of helping her to hold this seat. She’s on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s watch list of vulnerable incumbents. She must raise a budget of $3 million to secure re-election in 2008 and help Democrats hold onto their narrow majority.

The Issues

In 2006, Gillibrand overcame her opponent’s name recognition and fundraising advantages by campaigning on issues important to her community, like reducing taxes on middle-class families, finding ways to make college more affordable, increasing fuel efficiency standards, and restoring ethics to Washington.

“I ran for Congress to restore integrity and accountability to government, which is a real concern for families’ economic health and safety,” she says. “My vision of leadership includes listening to the people of the district and creating policies with them. In this way, I hope to make open government a reality.”

The No Child Left Behind Act comes up for reauthorization this year, and Gillibrand says it should be closely examined to determine what is working, what is not, and what could be effective if fully funded. For example, Gillibrand would like to re-examine certain requirements for rural schools. “Rural districts cannot offer the full complement of classes because they do not have teachers who meet the requirements,” she says. “We should not punish students because of well-intentioned policies that have negative unintended consequences.” Gillibrand opposes public funding for private school vouchers. “We have to fix the problems in our schools instead of circumventing them,” she says. Gillibrand cosponsored the College Students Relief Act of 2007 to reverse GOP action that increased interest rates on student loans.

“Congress can have a direct effect on the economic security of working families by creating policies that help them balance their responsibilities,” Gillibrand says. “We need to remove barriers to employment, such as a lack of affordable child care, and allow working parents time off to care for a newborn or an aging parent.” Nowhere is the work/life balance more challenging than in military families, Gillibrand notes. “One way to support these families is to grant military spouses two days’ unpaid leave to prepare the family for active duty,” she says. Gillibrand also cosponsored successful legislation to increase the federal minimum wage.

“We must reduce our trade deficit and balance the budget,” says Gillibrand, who voted to reinstate “pay-as-you-go” fiscal management, which went by the wayside under GOP control. To stimulate the domestic economy, she supports the new Apollo Project that would at once address the nation’s dependence on oil and create a vital new economic sector. “Creating and manufacturing new products through public-private partnerships would allow the U.S. to build our industrial and agricultural base and take advantage of the greatest market opportunity of this century,” she says. “If America develops these new technologies and products, we will be able to lead economically into the next decade. If we don’t, we risk having to buy those technologies and products from abroad.”

Gillibrand is fighting in Congress to reduce the tax burden on middle-class families, who are profoundly affected by rising health care, fuel, and education costs. She supports reforming the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), which has not been adjusted for inflation since it was created. “Unless something is done to control the expansion of the AMT, half of all households in New York state will be subject to the tax within five years,” she notes. To make up for lost revenue, Gillibrand would toughen IRS enforcement of back taxes and fines and cut wasteful spending.

Gillibrand is using her seat on the Armed Services Committee to provide better technology, body armor, and training for active duty military. She is the lead cosponsor of legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which would fortify the nation’s infrastructure — particularly chemical and power plants, waterways, ports, and airports — against future attacks. Gillibrand opposes Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. “It is time to offer a real strategy for success and start moving troops out of Iraq and away from policing Iraqi streets,” she says. “We need to force the Iraqi government to stand up and take control of their security.”

Improving access to preventive care would bring down health care costs, says Gillibrand, who notes that many uninsured Americans seek emergency room care because they have no other option. She voted to allow the federal government to negotiate drug costs as part of the Medicare prescription drug plan and supports allowing any family the option of buying into Medicare.

The rate of poverty in America has risen every year Bush has been in office, notes Gillibrand, “and those who suffer the most from the strain are low-income families.” Gillibrand supports linking federal funding to states’ success in reducing the number of children living in poverty. “Expanding child care funding and the earned income tax credit would offer a helping hand to states trying to meet the new requirements,” she says.

Gillibrand advocates congressional initiatives to promote alternative energy and conservation technologies to reduce dependence on oil and stimulate the economy. This includes investing in conservation technology and alternative energy; incentives for energy producers to create more efficient products; increasing fuel standards; and holding congressional hearings on price fixing by the oil industry. “We must put programs in place to aid energy consumers and help them minimize their exposure to very high, very volatile prices.”

A strong advocate for choice in Congress, Gillibrand is a cosponsor of the Global Democracy Promotion Act to repeal the global gag rule. “Reproductive decisions should be between a woman and her doctor, not a woman and her government,” she says.