Little-known congresswoman picked for Clinton seat

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-24 18:20

Paterson cited Gillibrand's work ethic, background as a securities lawyer and knowledge of issues important to New York. He stressed that he didn't choose her because she was a woman or from upstate New York.

Caroline Kennedy, seen here in 2008, late Wednesday Kennedy announced her last-minute withdrawal from consideration for the US Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton, the newly confirmed US secretary of state. [Agencies]

Several of those passed over didn't attend the news conference, even after the governor summoned New York's congressional delegation to Albany. Cuomo was among the no-shows, even though Gillibrand worked for him as legal counsel when he was housing secretary under President Bill Clinton.

Paterson "has likely engendered the wrath -- privately, if not publicly -- of a great number of prominent Democratic officials who would have liked the job themselves," said Steven Greenberg, a Siena College pollster.

President Barack Obama issued a statement praising the choice, saying Gillibrand would be a "strong voice for transparency and reform in government."

Clinton, whose nomination for secretary of state was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, also offered praise for Gillibrand, who worked on Clinton's 2000 Senate campaign.

"Kristen is an intelligent and dedicated public servant and a dear friend. I'm pleased that this seat, which has been my great honor to hold ... will be in such capable hands," Clinton said.

Meanwhile, the "personal reasons" that Kennedy cited in dropping out of contention remained a mystery.

A friend of Kennedy's who was involved in the selection process said Kennedy had a "minor issue with a nanny" that the governor's staff found to be irrelevant. The friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, also said Kennedy had a $615 city tax lien that was settled in 1994 but no other tax problems.

Gillibrand, a married mother of two sons, modeled her own political career after Clinton's.

Her father is one of the most powerful lobbyists in the state capital, and she is the granddaughter of Polly Noonan, an intimate of the legendary Albany Mayor Erastus Corning.

After Gillibrand worked in New York City for a white-shoe law firm with long ties to the Democratic Party, Clinton introduced her to deep-pocketed donors and vouched for her as a candidate.

As a lawmaker, she has projected a down-home image in tune with her rural district, which stretches from Lake Placid past the state capital of Albany. Besides the backing of the NRA, she has the strong support of the New York Farm Bureau, which described her as "a leading advocate for agriculture in Washington." Her Web site's homepage includes a picture of cows.

Gillibrand beat Republican Rep. John Sweeney in 2006 in a nasty campaign and won again last fall against a former state Republican chairman in the GOP district.

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