Kirsten Gillibrand

U.S. Senate, NY

A rising Democratic star. 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. Her 62-38 percent victory in 2008 in New York's 20th district confirms that this rising star is a leader to watch.

A champion of progressive issues. Winning past endorsements from the League of Conservation Voters and the Human Rights Campaign, Gillibrand has been a champion of progressive policies. In Congress, she has been a leader for women and families, fighting for equal pay and expanded health care for children.

A role model for women leaders. 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 a candidate training from EMILY’s List through the Political Opportunity Program (POP).

More About Kirsten Gillibrand

In 2006, Kirsten Gillibrand’s spectacular upset of a Republican congressman in upstate New York helped Democrats take control of the U.S. House. Now Gillibrand is in the U.S. Senate, appointed to the seat once held by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- and gearing up for her first statewide election in 2010. It will be a tough, costly battle. Republicans see an opportunity to make a critical gain that would give them more leverage to block President Obama’s agenda. Gillibrand needs help to fend off a wellfunded GOP challenge and keep this seat in Democratic hands.

Gillibrand is an independent-minded leader and dedicated student of policy. In the House, she helped pass a package of tough new ethics laws and cosponsored legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Her skills were quickly recognized, and Speaker Pelosi named her to the prestigious Democratic Steering Committee. In the Senate, she is a key supporter of President Obama’s agenda, voting for the stimulus package and to expand children’s health care. Progressive groups like Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, and the League of Conservation Voters have hailed her appointment.

One of a new generation of technologically savvy leaders, Gillibrand is determined to make government more transparent and accountable to the people. A cofounder of the Congressional High Tech Caucus, she was the first member of Congress to post her public schedule online, a gesture the New York Times called “a quiet touch of revolution.” She holds open office hours to give people a chance to talk directly to their congressperson; originally dubbed “Congress at Your Corner,” she now calls this program “Senate at Your Supermarket.”

Gillibrand grew up surrounded by strong women. Her grandmother founded the Albany Democratic Women’s Club and ran grassroots operations in upstate New York for 50 years. Her mother, one of three women in her law school class, represented low-income clients and fought for workplace fairness for women. Also an attorney, Gillibrand began to shift her professional focus to public service after hearing then-First Lady Hillary Clinton deliver her famous “women’s rights are human rights” speech in Beijing, China, subsequently joining the Clinton administration as special counsel to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo (now New York’s attorney general). She was on the board of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee, which elects pro-choice Democratic women leaders in New York, and helped found the Women’s Leadership Forum Network to encourage women under 40 to get involved in politics. At 42, Gillibrand is the youngest member of the U.S. Senate and one of the few with small children at home.

The Political Situation

Once a congresswoman from a conservative district comprising small towns and rural communities, Gillibrand is transitioning to being the U.S. senator for a vast state that includes the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. She is traveling across New York on a listening tour, familiarizing herself with its diverse constituencies and deepening her understanding of their priorities.

Several well-known Republicans have been mentioned as potential challengers to Gillibrand, including former Gov. George Pataki and Cong. Peter King, a Long Island Republican who has been involved in politics since the 1970s. Often mistakenly described as a moderate, King is in fact extremely conservative. He proudly touts his 100 percent approval ratings from the National Right to Life Committee and voted against covering birth control in federal employee health plans and against federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. In January, King voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Not one to value diversity, King said in 2007 that there are “too many mosques in this country.”

A loyal defender of the Bush administration, King suggested that Karl Rove deserved “a medal” for leaking the name of an undercover CIA operative to the press. King angrily called a constituent who wrote in favor of censuring President Bush “morally, intellectually, and politically wrong,” saying, “I thank God every night that he is our president. You should do the same.”

The Republican establishment and right-wing groups will spend millions attacking Gillibrand. But they underestimate her at their peril. She ousted an entrenched incumbent in a Republican- leaning district, despite being outspent by nearly $1 million. Then she resoundingly defeated the former head of the state Republican party, a millionaire who spent more than $7 million on his campaign, $5 million from his own pocket. Gillibrand has hired a number of experienced Clinton staffers and raised $2.3 million for the 2010 election. But that is a fraction of what it takes to win a Senate seat in New York; she needs early support to raise $25 million and keep this seat in Democratic hands.

The Issues

“Like President Obama, I am not focused on the old political fights of the past, but on listening to people’s concerns and forging solutions to their problems,” says Gillibrand. “In my campaign I will highlight strategies to fix the economy and create jobs, make health care more affordable, invest in education, and advocate for equal rights and equal justice for all.”

Gillibrand, who helped secure billions of dollars for New York schools, has worked to expand grants and tax credits for early childhood and higher education. “When we fail to properly educate our children, we limit their ability to succeed in the global economy,” she says. “We need further investment in math, science, technology, health care and engineering -- areas where America will cease to be a global leader unless we act now.” Gillibrand says the No Child Left Behind Act should either be fully funded -- or eliminated.

Congress can directly affect the economic security of working families by creating policies that help them balance responsibilities, Gillibrand believes, including removing barriers to employment, such as a lack of affordable child care, and allowing parents time off to care for a newborn or an aging parent. She cosponsored successful legislation in the House to increase the minimum wage and is leading efforts in the Senate to expand the child care tax credit and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. She supports expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act to help military families prepare for active duty.

Gillibrand favors trade policies that protect workers and help the U.S. compete in the global marketplace. She is pushing for a new “Apollo Project” dedicated to developing renewable energy, reducing dependence on foreign oil and creating a vital new economic sector. “If we support innovation through public-private partnerships, we’ll not only build our manufacturing and agricultural base, we’ll be taking advantage of the greatest market opportunity of this century,” she says. “If we don’t, we risk having to buy those technologies and products from abroad.”

Gillibrand is using her post on the Environment and Public Works Committee to advocate for investments that will put people to work and get the economy back on track, including highspeed rail, rural broadband, health care technology, and improvements to the energy grid. She is fighting in Congress to reduce the tax burden on middle-class families and help them manage the cost of health care, prescription drugs, fuel, and education.

The nation’s top defense spending priority should be providing better technology, body armor, and training for active duty military, Gillibrand believes. She advocates measures to fortify the nation’s infrastructure, particularly chemical and power plants, waterways, ports, and airports. Gillibrand supports President Obama’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq, force the Iraqi government to take responsibility for security, and redirect American military force toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, “where Al Qaeda leaders continue to find a place of refuge.”

Gillibrand is fighting in Congress to protect civil rights for all Americans. She is a cosponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and of legislation to make voter intimidation a federal crime. She supports equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, including marriage rights, and favors repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. Gillibrand voted to grant full voting rights to residents of the District of Columbia and opposed an amendment that repealed the District’s restrictions on semiautomatic weapons.

To address crime, Gillibrand supports restoring the COPS program (community oriented policing), “to put law enforcement on our streets and in our neighborhoods.” In the House, she voted to improve instant background checks for gun purchases; in the Senate, she is working to combat illegal gun trafficking and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. “As a parent, I am committed to making sure law enforcement has the tools to keep our children and families safe,” she says.

One of Gillibrand’s first Senate votes was to expand the SCHIP program to provide health care to 11 million uninsured children. Vowing to work with President Obama on comprehensive health care reform, she proposes allowing people the option of buying into Medicare at five percent of their income. She also supports providing health care tax credits to small businesses and creating purchasing pools for employees. Improving access to preventive care would bring down health care costs, Gillibrand contends, noting that many uninsured Americans seek emergency room care because they have no other option.

Gillibrand is working hand-in-hand with Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer on global climate change. She supports aggressive action to reduce dependence on imported oil, help consumers with rising fuel costs, and promote alternative energy and conservation technologies. “Energy independence must become a priority today to ensure our fiscal and environmental security for generations to come,” she says.

Gillibrand is a steadfast supporter of reproductive rights and earns 100 percent approval ratings from choice groups for her voting record. In the House, she cosponsored the Global Democracy Promotion Act to repeal the global gag rule and legislation to increase access to contraception.

May 2009