As a resident of NY-20 my only objection when Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed Senator was that I was losing her as my house representative. At least we were able to hold the seat in the special election, and of course Gillibrand still represents me in the Senate.
Many people were critical of the appointment, and many also scoffed at Gillibrand's potential as a candidate for election in her own right in 2010. But now, it seems the conventional wisdom is forming that in fact, Gillibrand is some sort of invincible juggernaut candidate that is scaring off primary and republican opponents alike without even trying.
Those of us who have know Gillibrand since her first campaign, when she liberated us from Miami Mobster John Sweeney, are the least surprised by her thus far awesome performance. How awesome? According to Evan McMorris-Santoro at TPM, Gillibrand exceeds some pretty high-caliber personas:
Who is the most powerful woman in American politics? Is it Nancy Pelosi, who just pushed landmark health care reform through a reticent Congress? Is it Michelle Obama, whose stratospheric approval ratings make her the envy of everyone in the political universe?
No, it's neither. The most powerful woman of all, or so it seems, is the junior senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand (D). Think about it: Who else could be associated with David Paterson and not be politically radioactive? Who else could scare off challenger after challenger from both sides without spending a dime?
Meet Kirsten Gillibrand, who apparently can't be stopped by man nor woman nor even Rudy Giuliani.
Gotta love that dig at Guiliani there!
McMorris-Santoro points out that Gillibrand's stunning strength is even more remarkable, given that she was appointed by the now highly toxic David Patterson. He also points out that her poll numbers have not been stellar: Her approval ratings have been midling, and many voters still claim to be too unfamiliar with her to have a definite opinion about her.
But Gillibrand has worked hard to build a statewide persona, abandoning some of the conservative views that earned her a seat in the House from an upstate district. She may have earned herself a second term simply by not being the controversial figure many in the Democratic party thought she would be. By solidifying the Democratic base behind her, Gillibrand has made it tough for any Republican to get any leverage -- she's too much of a centrist to get challenged by someone like a Mort Zuckerman on the Republican side and she's too willing to talk with her state's sizable progressive community to get attacked from the left.
I have personally been more enthusiastic about supporting Kirsten Gillibrand in her campaigns than any other candidate I have supported, and I am super psyched to be supporting her in her upcoming campaign.