Fresh on the heels of Caroline Kennedy's suspicious withdrawal from consideration, Governor Paterson has selected Kristen Gillibrand, a congresswoman from the Albany area, as the new Senator from New York.
From a political perspective, Paterson's pick makes sense. He shores up support among women and Clinton supporters, and also gains some chits Upstate, which may be difficult terrain for the governor in his quest for a term in his own right in 2010.
Gillibrand has been branded a "centrist," which applied to her is a somewhat meaningless term. She has been endorsed by the NRA, which is to some degree necessary to win election in Upstate New York where hunting and gun ownership are a significant part of the culture. The Upstate hunting vote doesn't necessarily explain Gillibrand's vote to repeal the DC semi-automatic ban, however. Her NRA cred has riled up Democratic Long Island Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was shot and killed on the LIRR, and who has vowed to run in a primary against Gillibrand.
More troublingly, Gillibrand's record on gay rights is pretty appalling:
According to the Human Rights Campaign, she voted against the repealing of Don't Ask Don't Tell, opposed legislation that would grant equal tax treatment for employer-provided health coverage for domestic partners, opposed legislation to grant same-sex partners of U.S. citizens and permanent residents the same immigration benefits of married couples and opposed legislation to permit state Medicaid programs to cover low-income, HIV-positive Americans before they develop AIDS.
Apparently she also interned for Alphonse D'Amato when she was in college.... I'm starting to like this pick less and less the more I learn.
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