Results tagged “kirstengillibrand”

Update: At the African-American Day Parade in Harlem today, Paterson responded by saying, “I have said time and time again that I am running for governor next year."

The Post reports, "Top state Republicans will urge former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to abandon his interest in running for governor and run instead against unelected US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand." Apparently some think there isn't support for a Governor Giuliani, what with polls showing that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo would beat him, but Senator GIuliani has a more appealing ring—"State Republicans describe Giuliani's chances against Gillibrand as excellent and say the statewide organization fielded by Cox to become party leader could become a powerful base for a Giuliani Senate race." Interesting, especially since former governor George Pataki has been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate—but he's got a lot of baggage.

Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island) was considering challenging Senator Kirsten Gillibrand next year, but now says he's not running. Why not? He can't compete with Gilly's money... or her blandness, saying that the new junior Senator "generates neither strong support nor opposition," thus making it "virtually impossible" to raise money against her in state that has many more registered Democrats than Republicans.

And then there were none left to challenge Kirsten Gillibrand in a Democratic primary. There must be some fierce, behind-the-scenes fangs hiding under that Tracy Flick smile of Gillibrand's because it seems like every Democrat poised to step in her way eventually bows out. Yesterday Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney became the last to wave the white flag, leaving Gilly the path of least resistance previously paved by Stringer, Israel, McCarthy and even Caroline Kennedy, whose initial withdrawal from consideration for the seat first opened the door for Gillibrand. Politicker says that Maloney recognized how much of a long-shot she was to beat the well-connected, upstate fundraising powerhouse and feared losing her entire political career, which could eventually see her as chair of the Financial Services Committee she currently sits on. Both Maloney and Gillibrand passed along praise of one another after the announcement and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "We've got a fabulous candidate now keeping her House seat and a fabulous candidate we hope keeping her Senate seat."

Looks like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand won't face a primary challenge next year: Rep. Carolyn Maloney released a statement indicating she's dropping a bid to challenge the newly anointed junior Senator. You can read the full statement here; here's an excerpt: "These are unique times with unparalleled challenges and running for the Senate is a full time job. Giving up for a critical period of time, the things I do best-passing legislation, working on the issues, serving New Yorkers would put politics before policy for the next year and a half... I may not be entering the race - but I will never leave the fight." The NY Times reports, "A person close to Ms. Maloney, who represents parts of Manhattan and Queens, said she reached the decision after days of consideration that running would mean leaving her current job at a point when she had significant seniority in Congress. "

Congresswoman and likely Senate candidate Carolyn Maloney may have stepped in some serious S-word. While giving an interview to the publication City Hall, Maloney was discussing Kirsten Gillibrand's stances being all over the map and relayed a story from a voter on the issue of language in the schools: "I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education]. And he said, ‘It was like saying n—r to a Puerto Rican.’” City Hall emphasizes that Maloney used the "full racial slur." Talk about bad PR! Well, if Jesse Jackson wasn't going to let Nas use the N-word, you knew Al Sharpton would waste no time in having words for Maloney. The Reverend, who has already endorsed Gillibrand, said the utterance was "alarming and disturbing at best" and wants her to out the person who said this "so we know that in fact this conversation did occur and the way in which it occurred." Maloney was quick to back away from the comment, saying, "I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting. It's no excuse but I was so caught up in relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that, in doing so, I repeated a word that should never be repeated."

With Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) looking to challenge Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2010 Democratic Senate primary, much is being made of Maloney is doing so much to the dismay of the Obama administration. But Rep. Charles Rangel thinks President Obama should stay out of race—and the NY Times says the same in an editorial!

With it being all but official that Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will be taking on Kirsten Gillibrand in the Democratic primary for Senate next year, now comes the tough part for Maloney—finding a base of voters while getting little to no support from Democratic big wigs up top. The Times accounts just what a mountain she's up against: receiving an Obama/Steve Israel-like call from Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer scaring away a potential campaign manager and now watching Gillibrand take credit for her WTC workers bill. Maloney said, “Here she takes my bill and introduces it." Maloney's nascent campaign is trying to build some momentum off of the presence of Bill Clinton at an upcoming fundraiser of hers, but it seems that she can't even get any love there. A Clinton spokesperson made it clear the former president was strictly attending to thank Hillary '08 supporters like Maloney and added, "The former president believes that Senator Gillibrand is doing a good job as senator and this type of thank-you event, and any other he may do, should not be read as an endorsement or un-endorsement."

Kirsten Gillibrand may have creeped her way under the radar as Governor Paterson's surprise choice to replace Hillary Clinton as senator in January, but her path towards winning the election to keep the seat won't be as smooth. After much speculation, it appears that Manhattan Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will throw her hat into the ring to challenge Gillibrand in the Democratic primary next year. Maloney, along with Long Island Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, have been critical of Gillibrand's former pro-gun stances and rapid "evolution" since she was named to the Senate. Recently Maloney said, "Some people run to get elected. I spend my time doing things. I've never lost an election. I don't intend to start now." The 61-year-old former city councilwoman faces an uphill battle against Gillibrand's quickly amassed war chest and the endorsements she's been racking up, most recently from powerful pro-choice group NARAL. An early Quinnipiac poll shows Maloney with a slight lead, but most voters undecided at this early stage.

Local politicians gathered in Washington today to introduce the James Zagroda 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, legislation that would provide $12 million for the medical expenses of Ground Zero workers. Zagroda was an NYPD detective and 9/11 first responder who died of lung disease in 2006 at 34. Mayor Bloomberg joined both pairs of senators from NY and NJ and Zagroda's father Joseph in announcing the bill that will attempt to circumvent a missed a 2003 deadline missed by workers looking to receive assistance in illnesses stemming from being exposed to toxic dust and debris at the site of the 9/11 attacks.

Today, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand continued to bolster her support for 2010, announcing endorsements from Rep. Gregory Meeks as well as the Reverend Al Sharpton. Sharpton's statement begins, "In less than five months, Senator Gillibrand has demonstrated an ability to bring people together, listen to their challenges, and forge solutions to the problems they face. I was impressed that the day after being selected to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate, she came down to the House of Justice in Harlem to hear the real concerns of the voiceless." PolitickerNY reports, "The endorsements by Sharpton and Meeks are useful to Gillibrand, who has been trying to make inroads with a black community wary of her past conservative position on gun control," and an adviser said that Gillibrand worked for their support, "One of the first people she met with was Sharpton, she's talked to him regularly and reached out to him." So far, Reps. Steve Israel and Carolyn McCarthy have said they will not run against Gilibrand; Rep. Caroline Maloney is reportedly considering a primary challenge.

Andrew Cuomo thinks that primaries are a fundamental part of the Democratic Party, telling a Democratic conference over the weekend, "We’re a party of primaries, which I think winds up being good for us, because I think the conversation and the discussion within the party can be very productive." So if he loves primaries so much, why doesn't Cuomo marry one...or at least commit to running in one next year against Paterson? Despite all the talk that he's the real man to beat next year, he still won't bite. When asked if it was discussed, Cuomo said that the short answer was "no" and the long answer was "nooooo." While Cuomo insists he still only plans to run for AG reelection, he calls next year "a long way away." Adding to the speculation over the weekend, Senator Gillibrand said that she doesn't believe that there will be a primary between the two men either—perhaps she knows of a certain phone call from the prez coming Paterson's way that we don't.

A rep for Congressman Steve Israel is denying a report of ugly backroom politics where White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel laid down the gauntlet and threatened that the Obama administration would essentially squash his campaign if Israel went ahead and challenged Kirsten Gillibrand in the Democratic Senate primary next year. The fascinating article in City Hall News said that Israel was "1,000 percent in" to run until meeting with Emanuel, who allegedly said that Chuck Schumer would steer big donors clear of the congressman and Obama was "prepared to barnstorm through New York’s black neighborhoods hand-in-hand with (Gillibrand)." The report says that the White House was doing a favor for a Democratic Senate trying to maximize 2010 funding in an effort to hold onto their current supermajority with some room to spare. A spokesman for Chuck Schumer admits the senator had "a friendly conversation" with the potential candidate before he called off his campaign last week. City Hall stands behind their piece, which also paints Emanuel and Israel as old friends who share a love of New York bagels.

The Grand Old Party is thinking about trotting out an old horse in 2010: Senator "Big Bad" John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is heading up the Republican's Senate campaign efforts, told reporters that he's lining up a challenger to face Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010: "In New York there's sort of a short list. I've talked to Gov. Pataki about it, but I don't know what he will decide." Well, they did have some sort of talk in February—but do New Yorkers really want to see Pataki again? By the end of Pataki's term, in 2006, only 30% of voters approved of the job he was doing! Cornyn was also honest about needing less super-conservative contenders, "I don't expect candidates in the Northeast to be as conservative as I am because frankly I don't think they can win." But he's hopeful, since Hillary Clinton is no longer the incumbent, "Thank President Obama for giving us an opportunity... I'm just not ready to pop the cork yet."

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer announced he would no longer consider running in the 2010 Democratic primary against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. His statement read, "In light of President Obama's clear desire to avoid a Democratic primary in New York State, I have decided to focus on my re-election race for Manhattan Borough President and to suspend my exploratory committee and fund-raising efforts" for a Senate bid. Stringer told the NY Times, "I was surprised when Obama called Israel and decided it would be very hard for me to mount the kind of campaign I wanted to run." Gillibrand's campaign has been touting its support from Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, Rep. Yvette Clarke and Rep. Michael McMahon, but two notable Dems are still discussing some sort of challenge—Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who has been especially critical of Gillibrand's stance on gun control. Though Gillibrand has been trying to make amends, McCarthy says, "I know she is saying the right things now, but I don’t know if she is just doing it just to win the next primary."

If a strongly-worded recommendation from Chuck Schumer wasn't enough to discourage Congressman Steve Israel from challenging Kirsten Gillibrand in next year's Democratic primary for Senate, party brass brought in the big boss to make sure he knew how serious the sentiment was. Israel announced that he had decided not to run yesterday shortly after receiving a call from President Obama. Israel said, "When (the president) asked me to take a leadership role in fighting for his agenda, I wasn't about to say no. He believes that at this critical time...that party unity is important." Carolyn Maloney may be next potential challenger pushed to the side, but it doesn't appear that there is any sign of retreat from Gillibrand's most visible foe since entering the Senate, Carolyn McCarthy. She may also have to face labor activist Jonathan Tasini, who told Politico, "Had the party leadership sought to “clear the field” in 2008 and control a vigorous debate about the direction of our party and our country, Barack Obama would not be president today."

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand were in town yesterday asking President Obama to eliminate the Tiahrt Amendment, which requires the FBI to destroy records of gun buyer's background checks within 24 hours. Gillibrand had co-sponsored the law while she was in Congress and said, "In my previous district, we didn't have gang violence, and we didn't have the gun violence that we have throughout New York." Schumer supported her change in stance because he said that by representing all of New York, "You meet more people, you grow." But potential primary opponent Carolyn McCarthy still sounds unconvinced, telling the News, "I thought it was strange that she signed on, given she was one of the people who wrote that law." One Democratic operative added, "She could hurt your neck, watching her move."

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand held a press conference in Binghamton yesterday to pledge the support of any federal law enforcement resources that could aid local police in their investigation of Friday's shooting massacre. Gillibrand said, "This is a tragedy we're all living together and we're all reflecting on it in our own way." After the pair toured the classroom where the massacre took place, Schumer remarked, "It was so frightening to see that small little room with no place to run, no place to hide." Today the Binghamton chief of police said that gunman Jiverly Wong, who was "an accomplished marksman," fired the 98 shots Friday including the final one at himself, "in just over a minute." And while being interviewed on Today show yesterday, Wong's sister said that she didn't believe the foreboding letter sent to a TV news station was by her brother, claiming his handwriting was more like "chicken scratch" and his vocabulary too limited to have written such a letter.

Of course: The widely-watched special election between Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco and Democrat newcomer (and venture capitalist) Scott Murphy for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's old Congressional seat has resulted in a "dead heat." The Times Union reports, "With 100 percent precincts reporting, Murphy leads Tedisco by only 59 votes, 77,344 to 77,285. With nearly 6,000 absentee ballots that will essentially decide the race as of Monday, the election will not be decided at least until April 13." The district has 75,000 more registered Republicans but Gillibrand—more of a blue dog Democrat—won it in 2006 and in 2008. The NY Times looks at how perhaps there was attention paid on the race (reporter Adam Nagourney admits he's guilty of it), but then again, it is the first special election since the presidential election.

When Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate, it set off a fight for her old Congressional stomping ground, the 20th district in upstate New York. Now Assemblyman Jim Tedisco (R) and venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) are vying for the seat.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has come under (figurative!) fire from her new downstate constituency over her support of gun rights and 100 rating from the NRA. She's tried to smooth things over, by removing her name from a gun bill she co-sponsored and emphasized she's concerned just as concerned about gun violence as Senator Chuck Schumer. But now the NY Times brings up a case from her past as a young lawyer—and puts it on the front page: Representing Philip Morris against the Justice Department's attempt to get information on how the tobacco industry lied about the effects of smoking.

New York Congressional Democrats are warning the state chairwoman not to anoint Kirsten Gillibrand as the party's candidate for Senate in 2010 just yet. Ten representatives signed a letter sent to the party's chair, June O'Neill, telling her not to use party resources to back the incumbent senator. The letter said, "The members of the Democratic State Committee deserve to make a [Senate] choice without being impaired or prejudiced in any way...Some of the cosigners of this letter may support Senator Gillibrand. Some are considering running for the seat." Those who signed and are considering a run include Carolyn McCarthy, Carolyn Maloney and Steve Israel. Gillibrand's reception from many state Dems since being named to the Senate in January has been chilly to say the least. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was the most recent Democrat to make it clear that he'd like to see another Democrat representing New York in the Senate—even if he has to run to do it.

While no Democrats have jumped on the declining poll numbers of Governor Paterson to suggest their own potential run for governor, they seem to be chomping at the bit to exploit the potential vulnerability of new Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Yesterday Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said he's considering a run, telling the Times, “Voters have an expectation for a Senate seat held by Kennedy, Moynihan, that there will be a discussion of issues through the electoral process.” Stringer added that he would not run in the primaries if another potential candidate does—Long Island Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. Despite Gillibrand's softening of many of her pro-gun stances while in the House, Maloney continues to sound unimpressed by her. Maloney said, “She’s turned her opinion on just about everything, but people are seeing through that. Who is she? What does she stand for? That’s going to be her biggest problem, that she flips on everything.”

After Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told Newsday that she and her husband keep two rifles under their bed in their upstate home, the newly appointed Senator has decided to move the rifles. Her spokesman Matt Canter told Newsday, "Given that the location of the guns has been disclosed, they have been moved for security reasons."

Oh, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. One moment, you're saying you need shooting lessons from Mayor Bloomberg. The next you're telling Newsday that you and your husband keep two rifles in your bed. Gillibrand said to Newsday, "If I want to protect my family, if I want to have a weapon in the home, that should be my right."

New Senator Kirsten Gillibrand may be called a flip-flopper, but her command of the Chinese language is considered just fine. At least to NY Times reporter David W. Chen, who observed the upstater at the Lunar New Year Parade in Chinatown two weeks ago. Gillibrand, an Asian studies major at Dartmouth, studied for six months in China and Taiwan: "Ms. Gillibrand’s Chinese is rusty now. But she tells her 5-year-old son, 'Man man yi diar,' or 'Slow down a little,' and calls chopsticks 'kuaizi,' out of habit." Yan Tai, a reporter for Chinese-language newspaper The World Journal who spoke to Gillibrand told the Times, "she definitely understood what I was saying, and she had good pronunciation. Actually, I was very impressed.” (Bonus: Gillibrand's Chinese name is "Lu Tian Na".) And Gillibrand, now on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Times, "Our relationship with China is extraordinarily complicated, and when you do understand the culture better, having that appreciation means you can hopefully find compromises."

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is really embracing her downstate constituency: She won't support the gun bill HR 4900 unless it's changed—and she co-sponsored it! Mayor Bloomberg and other mayors opposed the bill, saying it would actually "undermine federal agents and local police as they continue their fight against illegal guns." WNBC's Melissa Russo writes, "The Senator told News 4 New York on Friday she was misled by language in the bill that implied it would help law enforcement. Gillibrand said she was unaware when she cosponsored HR 4900 that it would actually hurt." The new Senator said that Bloomberg, whom she met the other day, explained the bill's flaws. The NRA, which previously gave her a 100 rating said, "Mayor Bloomberg sold Sen. Gillibrand a bill of goods." Gillibrand, who met the family of a Brooklyn victim of gang violence, explained her "old" gun stance to Air America's Mark Green, "We didn't have gang violence in upstate New York in my district. We didn't have the sense of urgency because young people were getting killed because of gun violence, and getting in the crossfire of gangs."

A few people were wondering why Kirsten Gillibrand didn't make a stop with the mayor when she came through town last week on her statewide roll out tour as senator that ended in NYC. Well yesterday the two met in Washington and seemed to bury any hatchet that may have existed after Bloomberg breathed fire in Gillibrand's direction following the (former?) gun control advocate being named to the Senate by Governor Paterson. The pair was all smiles after their twenty-minute meeting with Gillibrand telling reporters, "There's a number of things that we're going to work on together, trying to keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals by getting law enforcement all the tools they need to keep them off the street." Gillibrand sounds to be "evolving" rapidly—she even told the News that since her background is in fishing, she'd have to take shooting lessons from the mayor.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in New York City yesterday, meeting different parts of her new downstate constituency: Business leaders and those who know gun violence first-hand.

The balancing act for new Senator Kirsten Gillibrand continues to demonstrate that there is no way that she will be able to please all state Democrats. The latest group who feels slighted by her positions? Her old constituents. The Times spoke to folks from the 20th Congressional District who made Gillibrand the first Democrat they sent to Washington in over twenty years. Her former supporters had gripes about her "evolution" since her promotion with one saying, "If you have a position, and this is what you feel, why would you change it just because you got a new job?” Some NYC versus upstate resentment seems to be at play with one local saying, "As soon as Schumer and Silver got to her, I watched her change her tune." Today Gillibrand gave her first major speech in NYC as senator at a meeting of the business group Association for a Better New York where she quoted Eleanor Roosevelt saying, "A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."