Kirsten Gillibrand

Kirsten Gillibrand
Name	Kirsten Gillibrand
Caption	Official portrait, 2020
State	New York
Jr/sr	United States Senator
Alongside	Chuck Schumer
Term start	January 26, 2009
Predecessor	Hillary Clinton
Office1	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
From1	New York's 20th congressional district
Term start1	January 3, 2007
Term end1	January 26, 2009
Predecessor1	John Sweeney
Successor1	Scott Murphy
Birth name	Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik
Birth date	9 December 1966
Birth place	Albany, New York, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Jonathan Gillibrand, 2001
Education	Dartmouth College (BA), University of California, Los Angeles (JD)
Website	gillibrand.senate.gov

Kirsten Gillibrand is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from New York since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she was appointed to the U.S. Senate following the resignation of Hillary Clinton to become Secretary of State. Previously, she represented New York's 20th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009. Throughout her tenure, she has been a prominent advocate for military sexual assault reform, LGBTQ+ rights, and family-focused economic policies.

Early life and education

Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik was born in Albany, New York, to attorney Penny Rutnik and political lobbyist Douglas Rutnik. Her maternal grandmother, Polly Noonan, was a prominent Albany Democratic Committee figure and close associate of longtime Mayor of Albany Erastus Corning 2nd. She attended the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Asian studies from Dartmouth College in 1988, where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She later obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 1991, serving as an editor for the UCLA Law Review.

Early career

After law school, she served as a law clerk for Judge Roger Miner on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She then worked as an attorney at the Davis Polk & Wardwell and later Boies, Schiller & Flexner firms in New York City. During the Bill Clinton administration, she served as a special counsel to Secretary Andrew Cuomo at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Her early political involvement included volunteering for the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton and working on the legal team for the New York State Assembly's Minority leader.

U.S. Senate career

Appointed by Governor of New York David Paterson in January 2009 to fill the vacancy left by Hillary Clinton, she won a special election in 2010 and was re-elected in 2012, 2018, and 2024. She serves on several powerful committees, including the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee. A leading voice on military issues, she championed the Military Justice Improvement Act to address sexual assault in the military. She also played a key role in repealing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and helped pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. In 2019, she briefly sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Political positions

A staunch advocate for progressive causes, she supports the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and comprehensive immigration reform. She is a leading sponsor of the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act and has worked on bipartisan legislation like the Child Nutrition Act. On foreign policy, she is a vocal critic of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and has advocated for a robust stance against Russia following its annexation of Crimea. She has a 100% rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the Human Rights Campaign.

Electoral history

She first won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, defeating Republican incumbent John Sweeney in New York's 20th congressional district. In the 2010 special election for the U.S. Senate, she defeated Republican nominee Joseph DioGuardi. She won her first full term in 2012 against Wendy Long, and was re-elected in 2018 against Chele Farley and in 2024 against Mike Sapraicone. Her congressional district was historically competitive, encompassing areas like Saratoga Springs and parts of the Hudson Valley.

Personal life

She is married to Jonathan Gillibrand, a British entrepreneur and co-founder of the Earliest media company, whom she met while studying at Dartmouth College. They have two sons and reside in Brunswick, near Albany, and maintain an apartment in Manhattan. An avid runner, she has completed the New York City Marathon. Her memoir, Off the Sidelines, was published in 2014. She is a Roman Catholic and has discussed how her faith influences her advocacy for social justice issues.

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:United States senators from New York Category:Dartmouth College alumni Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni