If Clinton runs for president, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s time won’t be in 2016. But the junior senator from New York, who holds Clinton’s former seat and is often overshadowed by the state’s better-known political figures, is quietly building a résumé that would allow her to be taken seriously should she ever decide to run for president…
Gillibrand’s standout move in the 2012 election cycle was through one of her PACs, the female candidate-centric Off the Sidelines, which helps galvanize support and fundraising for women candidates.
It’s a form of grass-roots list-building that would benefit a potential Democratic presidential candidate. The PAC serves some of the same purposes as more-established groups, like EMILY’s List, which promote and endorse women candidates…
Supporting gay marriage was her earliest position shift to the left — she eventually followed on other issues, such as gun control. Gillibrand once had a high National Rifle Association rating and talked about having guns under her bed but has since worked on gun control measures. Still, she has remained center-left on certain issues, including maintaining a good relationship with her state’s business community.
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