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[[Image:Gillibrand.jpg|Right|thumb| Senate-nominee Kirsten Gillibrand]]
'''Kirsten Gillibrand''' (born December 9, 1966) (pronounced JILL-uh-brand) is a second-term Democratic House Congresswoman representing NY district 20, a traditionally Republican district stretching along the Hudson River in upstate New York. She was nominated on Jan. 23, 2009, by Governor David Paterson to replace [[Hillary Clinton]] in the U.S. Senate. With her seating expected any day, at forty-two years old she will be the youngest member of the Senate.
==Career==
Scion of an upstate New York family long involved in politics, she graduated from Dartmouth College (1988) and UCLA Law School. At Dartmouth learned Chinese, spent a semester in China, and wrote a senior project on a conservative topic, "The History of Tibetan Resistance to the Chinese Occupation of Tibet 1950-1988."
She is a Catholic, and is married with two children. Her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, is a British citizen who works in finance.
Gillibrand worked for both Republicans and Democrats, and clerked for a senior federal judge --a Reagan appointee--before working for a major law firm in New York City.
==Election==
Gillibrand was elected in 2006 after defeating incumbent Republican John E. Sweeney. She won by 6% of the vote after news of her opponent's long record of drunkenness was reported by three newspapers as well as a wife-beating incident when state police were called to his home, not to mention his ties with disreputable lobbyist Jack Abramoff.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2007/11/14/2007-11-14_former_congressman_john_sweeney_pleads_g-1.html Former congressman John Sweeney pleads guilty to DWI] NY Daily News, November 14th 2007</ref>
==House==
Gillibrand is considered a [[Blue-dog Democrat]] for her conservative credentials, including a 100% rating from the [[NRA]], supports offshore drilling, and voted against the $700 billion bailout. However, she supports civil liberties and has a 100% rating from the [[ACLU]]. She supported redeployment of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, and voted with the Bush administration and against her own party leadership on funding the Iraq war.<ref> See [http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2009/01/23/kirsten_gillibrand/ Joe Conason, "Kirsten Gillibrand. Really? Why New York Gov. David Paterson chose a senator with conservative views that clash with his own." ''Salon'' Jan. 23, 2009] She favors the English language-only movement as well as abortion rights; she has supported balanced budget amendments, and opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Gillibrand is considered one of the Democratic Party's most active and aggressive grass roots campaigners, using her huge $4.6 million war chest to garner 65% of the vote in the 2008 election.
==U.S. Senate==
Gillibrand was nominated to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton after she became Secretary of State in the [[Obama Administration]]. Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president, had been considered the frontrunner until she mysteriously dropped out of the contest on Jan. 22. The choice of Gillibrand was a stunning blow to liberal forces in New York, who never dreamed she would displace their favorites. "She is on the right-wing of our Congressional delegation," said Danny Cantor, a liberal leader. "People change, and we’re going to be optimistic and hope she does too."<ref>Quoted in [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/nyregion/24gillibrand.html?ref=nyregion Michael Powell and Raymond Hernandez, "Gillibrand Is a Centrist With a Tenacious Style," ''New York Times'' Jan. 24, 2009] </ref>
==See also==
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/nyregion/24gillibrand.html?ref=nyregion Michael Powell and Raymond Hernandez, "Gillibrand Is a Centrist With a Tenacious Style," ''New York Times'' Jan. 24, 2009]
==References==
<references/>
'''Kirsten Gillibrand''' (born December 9, 1966) (pronounced JILL-uh-brand) is a second-term Democratic House Congresswoman representing NY district 20, a traditionally Republican district stretching along the Hudson River in upstate New York. She was nominated on Jan. 23, 2009, by Governor David Paterson to replace [[Hillary Clinton]] in the U.S. Senate. With her seating expected any day, at forty-two years old she will be the youngest member of the Senate.
==Career==
Scion of an upstate New York family long involved in politics, she graduated from Dartmouth College (1988) and UCLA Law School. At Dartmouth learned Chinese, spent a semester in China, and wrote a senior project on a conservative topic, "The History of Tibetan Resistance to the Chinese Occupation of Tibet 1950-1988."
She is a Catholic, and is married with two children. Her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, is a British citizen who works in finance.
Gillibrand worked for both Republicans and Democrats, and clerked for a senior federal judge --a Reagan appointee--before working for a major law firm in New York City.
==Election==
Gillibrand was elected in 2006 after defeating incumbent Republican John E. Sweeney. She won by 6% of the vote after news of her opponent's long record of drunkenness was reported by three newspapers as well as a wife-beating incident when state police were called to his home, not to mention his ties with disreputable lobbyist Jack Abramoff.<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2007/11/14/2007-11-14_former_congressman_john_sweeney_pleads_g-1.html Former congressman John Sweeney pleads guilty to DWI] NY Daily News, November 14th 2007</ref>
==House==
Gillibrand is considered a [[Blue-dog Democrat]] for her conservative credentials, including a 100% rating from the [[NRA]], supports offshore drilling, and voted against the $700 billion bailout. However, she supports civil liberties and has a 100% rating from the [[ACLU]]. She supported redeployment of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, and voted with the Bush administration and against her own party leadership on funding the Iraq war.<ref> See [http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2009/01/23/kirsten_gillibrand/ Joe Conason, "Kirsten Gillibrand. Really? Why New York Gov. David Paterson chose a senator with conservative views that clash with his own." ''Salon'' Jan. 23, 2009] She favors the English language-only movement as well as abortion rights; she has supported balanced budget amendments, and opposed amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Gillibrand is considered one of the Democratic Party's most active and aggressive grass roots campaigners, using her huge $4.6 million war chest to garner 65% of the vote in the 2008 election.
==U.S. Senate==
Gillibrand was nominated to fill the seat vacated by Hillary Clinton after she became Secretary of State in the [[Obama Administration]]. Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president, had been considered the frontrunner until she mysteriously dropped out of the contest on Jan. 22. The choice of Gillibrand was a stunning blow to liberal forces in New York, who never dreamed she would displace their favorites. "She is on the right-wing of our Congressional delegation," said Danny Cantor, a liberal leader. "People change, and we’re going to be optimistic and hope she does too."<ref>Quoted in [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/nyregion/24gillibrand.html?ref=nyregion Michael Powell and Raymond Hernandez, "Gillibrand Is a Centrist With a Tenacious Style," ''New York Times'' Jan. 24, 2009] </ref>
==See also==
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/nyregion/24gillibrand.html?ref=nyregion Michael Powell and Raymond Hernandez, "Gillibrand Is a Centrist With a Tenacious Style," ''New York Times'' Jan. 24, 2009]
==References==
<references/>