Kirsten Gillibrand goes from Senate seat to on the stump
Gov. Paterson may have handed Kirsten Gillibrand her U.S. Senate seat, but she plans to keep it the old-fashioned way - by campaigning relentlessly.
In office only since Tuesday, Gillibrand has already booked a Hillary Clinton-sized "listening tour" this weekend, taking her from Buffalo to Brooklyn - with a fund-raiser, two round tables and meetings with at least four ethnic groups sprinkled in along the way.
The stated purpose? To show that Gillibrand is on the job and willing to make new friends, aides say.
But the unstated message is clear: Gillibrand will be a tenacious opponent for anyone, Democrat or Republican, mulling a run against her in 2010.
Whether it works, of course, remains to be seen. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-L.I.), whose husband was killed by a crazed gunman in 1993, has said she is prepared to run against Gillibrand, whose pro-gun record earned her an A rating from the conservative National Rifle Association.
And many immigrant advocates remain furious over her past support for laws they see as anti-immigrant, among them a bill that would bar employers who hire illegal immigrants from getting federal contracts.
"The jury is definitely still out on her," said a Hispanic lawmaker expected to meet with her this weekend.
According to the article, Sen. Gillibrand will be meeting with a few groups in Manhattan today before holding a Gillibrand for Senate fundraiser later in the day. Tomorrow, Gillibrand will travel upstate for meetings in Buffalo and Rochester. And on Sunday, Gillibrand will have a meeting with Hispanic lawmakers in Brooklyn. Gillibrand will also meet with the head of the New York Immigration Coalition and attend a parade in Chinatown.
It is great to see Gillibrand out and about this early. She will need to do this often in order to win over this diverse state. It will be interesting to see how the next 20 months play out.
