EMILY's List Congratulates Kirsten Gillibrand on her Successful Run for US Senate

The following is a statement from EMILY's List president Stephanie Schriock on Kirsten Gillibrand's successful election to the US Senate:

"Kirsten Gillibrand's decisive victory tonight is proof that she will continue to be a force to be reckoned with! The opposition fought hard, launching a multimillion dollar campaign in hopes of making a critical gain that would give them more leverage to push their backwards-looking agenda.! But Kirsten Gillibrand campaigned tirelessly, and in the end, New Yorkers chose to support government accountability, transparency, education, and the protection of civil rights for all. Her record speaks for itself, and I know she will continue to serve with distinction and graciously represent the people of New York in the Senate."

EMILY's List supported Gillibrand's US House campaign in 2006 and re-election in 2008. Gillibrand is an innovative and independent leader, whose talent and skill was recognized early on by House leadership. Her accomplishments and contributions are numerous. 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. One of a new generation of technologically savvy leaders, Gillibrand is determined to make government more transparent and accountable to the people. A co-founder 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 is the first New York Senator to sit on the Agriculture Committee in nearly 40 years, improving child nutrition and fighting hard to protect New York's farmers by improving education and health care. Gillibrand is one of only 7 women in US history to have served in both the US House and US Senate.

Prior to serving in the US Senate, Gillibrand was the first woman ever elected to represent Upstate New York's traditionally Republican 20th Congressional District and the first Democrat to win the seat in almost 30 years.

In the 2009-2010 cycle, EMILY's List raised more then $38.5 million to support its mission of recruiting and supporting women candidates, helped them build strong campaigns, and mobilizing women voters to turn out and vote. With a community of more than 600,000 members across the country, EMILY's List is one of the largest political action committees in the nation. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY's List has worked to elect 80 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 15 to the U.S. Senate, nine governors, and hundreds of women to the state legislatures, state constitutional offices, and other key local offices. In the 2009-2010 cycle, EMILY's List had the largest number of members and donors in our 25 year history.