Kirsten Gillibrand (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from New York. She assumed office on January 26, 2009. Her current term ends on January 3, 2025.
Gillibrand (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent New York. She declared candidacy for the 2024 election.
Gillibrand launched an exploratory committee to run for president of the United States on January 15, 2019, and formally declared her candidacy on March 17, 2019.
On August 28, 2019, Gillibrand announced that she was ending her campaign for the presidency.
Gillibrand was first appointed to the Senate in 2009 to fill the seat vacated through Hillary Clinton's appointment to secretary of state. She won re-election in 2018.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Gillibrand worked as an attorney, law clerk, campaign staffer, and special counsel to the secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She also represented New York's 20th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2007 to 2009.
Gillibrand was born in Albany, New York, in 1966 and grew up in upstate New York. She graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Asian studies in 1988 and obtained her law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1991.
After graduating from law school, Gillibrand clerked for Judge Roger Miner on the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. After working in private practice, she entered government service as special counsel to then-Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo. After working on Hillary Clinton's (D) campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2000, Gillibrand returned to private practice.
In 2005, Gillibrand left private practice to run against incumbent Rep. John Sweeney (R) in New York's 20th congressional district. Gillibrand won 53% of the vote to Sweeney's 47% in the 2006 election. Gillibrand won re-election with 62% of the vote in 2008.
In 2009, Gov. David Paterson (D) appointed Gillibrand to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton (D), who had resigned to serve as secretary of state. Gillibrand won election to the remainder of Clinton's term in 2010 with 60% of the vote. She was elected to a full term with 68% of the vote in 2012 and won re-election with 67% of the vote in 2018.
In December 2017, Gillibrand was the first member of the U.S. Senate to call on Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign following allegations of improper conduct.
