Who is Kirsten Gillibrand?

By CJP | January 22, 2009

Even when Caroline Kennedy’s name was still in the hat for Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat, we continually heard a second name bandied about for the spot- Kirsten Gillibrand.  We have no inside scoop as to whether Gillibrand will now be picked, but we can answer the question, who is this woman?

• Gillibrand is a Congresswoman serving her second term.  She’s on the House Armed Services and Agriculture committees;
• She’s from up-state New York, fulfilling two criteria we’ve been told Governor David Paterson may be looking for– a female from outside of New York City.  She attended Dartmouth and has a law degree from UCLA;
• She’s a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats and has a 100% voting record from the NRA;
• As an advocate for accountability in government, she publishes her earmark requests, financial disclosure reports and daily schedule online every day.  Lovesit.
• Before running for Congress, Gillibrand was a law clerk, worked in private law practice, and was Special Counsel for the Department of Housing an Urban Development.  Her boss at HUD was Andrew Cuomo, who is also rumored to be in contention for the Senate seat;
• She has a four-year-old son and an infant, which made her a very rare pregnant member of Congress.  Only six women have had babies in office.

Topics: Ladies of the House, Women in Politics

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