Kirsten Gillibrand

Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand born December 9 1966 is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from New York since 2009 A member of the Democratic Party she served as member of the US House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009 Born and raised in upstate New York Gillibrand graduated from Dartmouth College and from the UCLA School of Law After holding positions in government and private practice and working on Hillary Clintons 2000 US Senate campaign Gillibrand was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2006 She represented New Yorks 20th congressional district and was reelected in 2008 During her House tenure Gillibrand was a Blue Dog Democrat noted for voting against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 After Clinton was appointed US Secretary of State in 2009 Governor David Paterson selected Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat Clinton had vacated making her New Yorks second female senator Gillibrand won a special election in 2010 to keep the seat and was reelected to full terms in 2012 and 2018 During her Senate tenure Gillibrand has shifted to the left She has been outspoken on sexual assault in the military and sexual harassment having criticized President Bill Clinton Senator Al Franken and Governor Andrew Cuomo all fellow Democrats for alleged sexual misconduct She supports paid family leave a federal jobs guarantee and the abolition and replacement of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement