Kirsten Gillibrand

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Kirsten Gillibrand
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 20th district
Assumed office
January 4 2007
Preceded byJohn E. Sweeney
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJonathan Gillibrand
ChildrenTheodore Gillibrand
Henry Nelson Gillibrand
ResidenceHudson, New York
Alma materDartmouth College, UCLA
Occupationattorney

Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand (b. December 9 1966, Albany, New York) is a Democratic politician, elected on November 7, 2006, to represent New York's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. She is the first Democrat to represent the district since Edward W. Pattison in 1978 and the first woman to represent the district.

Early years

Born into a politically-connected family, Kirsten Rutnik was born and raised in Albany, New York by Douglas P. Rutnik, a public defender's office attorney and Polly Noonan Rutnik, also an attorney.[1]

After attending Albany's Academy of Holy Names, she graduated in 1984 from Emma Willard School in Troy, New York, the first all women's high school in the United States.

A magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College in 1988, Gillibrand went on to receive her law degree from the UCLA School of Law in 1991 and served as a law clerk on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

Career

During the Clinton Administration, Gillibrand served as Special Counsel to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Andrew Cuomo. She worked on HUD's Labor Initiative and its New Markets Initiative, on strengthening Davis-Bacon Act enforcement and on drafting new markets legislation for public and private investment in building infrastructure in lower income areas.

As a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner, Gillibrand worked on a wide range of legal and policy-related issues. She represented many pro bono cases, including abused women and their children, and tenants seeking safe housing after lead paint and unsafe conditions were found in their homes.

She was the Chair of the Women's Leadership Forum Network and was on the Boards of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee and the Commission on Greenway Heritage Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley. She also served on the Advisory Board for the Brennan Center for Justice.

Personal

She splits her time between Greenport, New York and Washington D.C. with her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, and their son, Theodore (b. 2004). On May 15, 2008, Gillibrand gave birth to her second child, Henry Nelson Gillibrand, making her the sixth woman to have a child while serving as a Member of Congress.[2]

2006 campaign for the U.S. House

Main article: New York 20th congressional district election, 2006

Gillibrand ran in New York's 20th Congressional District against four-term Republican incumbent John E. Sweeney. The suburban and rural district was among the more Republican in the Northeast. Sweeney had a politically conservative/libertarian stance, and had not faced a serious opponent for election in any of his previous House races. Gillibrand won the election by a 6% margin over Sweeney. Her victory was significant, as it was the 15th seat to change from Republican to Democratic control—assuring that the Democrats would win a majority in the House.

Controversies and criticism

Gillibrand came under fire after it was revealed that she hosted campaign fundraisers in London, England and Paris, France.[3] While the fundraisers were legal, and no foreign money was raised (contributions came from American citizens living abroad), critics said her actions were hypocritical since she criticized her 2006 opponent, then U.S. Representative John E. Sweeney, for hosting an out-of-state fundraiser. The revelations about Gillibrand's travels were first exposed by the "Majority Accountability Project," a self-described "independent, Internet news service" founded by two former Republican Congressional staff members.[4]

Gillibrand was also criticized by the Majority Accountability Project after she spent approximately $50,000 in order to send out mailing brochures on a tax relief promotion in Congress.[5]

Committee Assignments

  • Agriculture Committee
    • Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture
    • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
  • Armed Services Committee
    • Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee
    • Terrorism and Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee
  • Co-founder of the Congressional High Tech Caucus

Issues and positions

Gillibrand is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.[6] She strongly opposes gun control.[7] She is a strong advocate of 2nd Amendment rights, and works to protect "responsible" gun owners, coming as she does from a family of "hunters and fishers." This stance is not unusual given the nature of her district; many Hudson Valley residents are hunters and trappers. However, Gillibrand does support liberal stances on some issues such as abortion, environmental protections, and fair trade.

Gillibrand broke with former Governor Eliot Spitzer on the issue of illegal immigration, opposing his plan to issue New York State drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.[8] Following the March 10, 2008 revelation of Spitzer's involvement with a high priced prostitution ring, she called on the governor to step down "if the charges are true."

2008 re-election campaign

Main article: New York 20th congressional district election, 2008

Gillibrand plans to seek re-election in November, 2008.[9]

References

  1. ^ Race between roots and new blood, May 7, 2006, Troy Record.
  2. ^ NY congresswoman gives birth, Associated Press.
  3. ^ Gillibrand Does Pari$, Too, May 10, 2007.
  4. ^ Majority Accountability Project
  5. ^ Gillibrand Spends by Majority Accountability Project.
  6. ^ Blue Dogs House of Representatives site.
  7. ^ Gillibrand 2006 campaign website.
  8. ^ Spitzer Meets Opposition ,September 29, 2007 Post Star article.
  9. ^ Local GOP hopefuls go on the attack, January 17, 2008, PostStar.com.

External links

  • U.S. Representative Kirsten Gillibrand official U.S. House site
  • Gillibrand for Congress official campaign site
  • United States Congress. "Kirsten Gillibrand (id: g000555)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  • Federal Election Commission — Mrs. Kirsten E Gillibrand campaign finance reports and data
  • On the Issues — Kirsten Gillibrand issue positions and quotes
  • OpenSecrets.org — Kirsten E. Gillibrand campaign contributions
  • Project Vote Smart — Representative Kirsten E. Gillibrand (NY) profile
  • SourceWatch Congresspedia — Kirsten Gillibrand profile
  • Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Kirsten Gillibrand voting record
  • "Social Security a key issue for Gillibrand", September 25, 2006 (with link to short video of Gillibrand opposing Social Security privatization)
  • "Gillibrand preganant", December 5, 2007. Albany Times Union.
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