New York Governor David Patterson appointed Representative Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to replace Hillary Clinton in the US Senate on Friday.
Gillibrand supports abortion rights, stem cell research, and co-sponsored the Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 2147) which aims to provide health insurance for every child in the US. In the past, Gillibrand consistently leaned to the right on financial issues, on immigration, and on second amendment issues. According to Time Magazine, she is a vocal promoter of government transparency.
Gillibrand has close ties on both sides of the aisle; her father is a Republican lobbyist and her grandmother was a women’s rights activist who founded the Albany Democratic Women’s Club.
