Kirsten Gillibrand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kirsten Gillibrand
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Mike Braun |
| Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 |
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| Leader | Chuck Schumer |
| Preceded by | Gary Peters |
| United States Senator from New York |
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| Assumed office January 26, 2009 Serving with Chuck Schumer
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| Preceded by | Hillary Clinton |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 20th district |
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| In office January 3, 2007 – January 26, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | John E. Sweeney |
| Succeeded by | Scott Murphy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik
December 9, 1966 Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Jonathan Gillibrand
(m. 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | |
Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand (born December 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician. She has been a U.S. Senator for New York since 2009. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming a senator, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009.
Kirsten Gillibrand grew up in upstate New York. She went to Dartmouth College and then to UCLA School of Law. After working in government and private law, she helped with Hillary Clinton's 2000 U.S. Senate campaign. Gillibrand was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006. She represented New York's 20th congressional district.
In 2009, Hillary Clinton became the U.S. Secretary of State. Governor David Paterson chose Gillibrand to take Clinton's Senate seat. This made Gillibrand New York's second female senator. She won a special election in 2010 to keep the seat. She was reelected in 2012, 2018, and 2024. As a senator, Gillibrand has worked on laws about important topics. These include supporting military members, gun safety, and health care for 9/11 responders. She also supports paid family leave.
Gillibrand ran for president in 2020. She announced her campaign in March 2019. She later withdrew from the race in August 2019.
Early Life and Education
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik was born on December 9, 1966, in Albany, New York. Her parents, Polly Edwina (Noonan) and Douglas Paul Rutnik, were both lawyers. Her father also worked as a lobbyist. Her parents divorced in the late 1980s.
Kirsten has an older brother and a younger sister. Her maternal grandmother, Dorothea "Polly" Noonan, helped start the Albany Democratic Women's Club.
During her childhood, Gillibrand was called "Tina." She started using her birth name after law school. In 1984, she graduated from Emma Willard School, an all-girls private school. She then went to Dartmouth College.
At Dartmouth, Gillibrand studied Asian Studies. She spent time studying in Beijing and Taiwan. She graduated with honors in 1988. While in college, she interned at Senator Al D'Amato's office. She earned her law degree from UCLA School of Law in 1991.
Her Career in Law
In 1991, Gillibrand joined the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell in Manhattan. In 1992, she worked as a law clerk for Judge Roger Miner in Albany.
While at Davis Polk, Gillibrand worked on cases for the tobacco company Philip Morris. She helped defend the company's leaders during investigations. She worked closely on these cases and became a key part of the defense team.
Gillibrand became involved with the Women's Leadership Forum, a program of the Democratic National Committee. She said a speech by Hillary Clinton inspired her to get more involved in politics.
In 2001, Gillibrand became a partner at another law firm, Boies, Schiller & Flexner. She left this firm in 2005 to start her campaign for Congress.
Public Service and Government Work
Gillibrand has said that her work at private law firms allowed her to take on cases for free. She helped women and children who had experienced abuse. She also helped tenants get safe housing.
After her time at Davis Polk, she worked as Special Counsel for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Andrew Cuomo. This was during the last year of the Clinton administration.
In 1999, Gillibrand started working on Hillary Clinton's 2000 U.S. Senate campaign. She focused on getting young women involved. She and Clinton became close during this time.
Serving in Congress
Elections for the House
2006 Election
Gillibrand thought about running for office in 2004. But Hillary Clinton advised her to wait until 2006. The district she ran in was usually conservative. Republicans had held the seat for many years.
Gillibrand ran on both the Democratic and Working Families tickets. She received support from other Democratic politicians, including Hillary and Bill Clinton. Both parties spent a lot of money on the campaigns.
A key moment in the election was a police report about her opponent, John E. Sweeney. Gillibrand won the election with 53% of the vote.
2008 Election
After her win, Republicans wondered who would run against Gillibrand in 2008. The district still had more registered Republicans than Democrats.
Gillibrand was reelected in 2008. She won against former New York Secretary of State Sandy Treadwell. She received 62% of the vote. This was a big win for Democrats in the 2008 elections.
Her Time in the House
When she started in the House, Gillibrand joined the Blue Dog Coalition. This group was made up of moderate to conservative Democrats. She voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. She was worried about how the money would be overseen.
She also voted for a bill that limited sharing information about gun buyers. She received a good rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) at that time. Later, her rating changed to an "F" when she was in the Senate.
Gillibrand became the first member of Congress to share her official schedule publicly. She also shared requests for special funding and her personal financial information. This was called her "Sunlight Report." It was praised for making the system more open.
House Committee Work
In the House of Representatives, Gillibrand worked on these committees:
- Committee on Agriculture
- Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry (Chair)
- Committee on Armed Services
Becoming a Senator
Appointment to the Senate
In December 2008, President-elect Barack Obama chose Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State. Clinton was the junior U.S. senator from New York. She resigned her Senate seat in January 2009.
New York Governor David Paterson had to choose someone to fill Clinton's Senate seat. Many well-known New York Democrats wanted the position. Gillibrand quietly campaigned for it. She highlighted her success in winning House elections in a conservative area.
On January 23, 2009, Governor Paterson announced that Gillibrand was his choice. The reaction in New York was mixed. People in upstate New York were happy to have a senator from their region. But many in downstate New York were disappointed. Gillibrand was not very well known across the state.
Gillibrand was sworn in as a senator on January 26, 2009. At 42, she was the youngest senator in the 111th Congress.
Senate Elections
2010 Special Election
Gillibrand had many possible challengers for the 2010 special election. But top members of the Democratic Party supported her. They asked major opponents not to run.
Gillibrand won the Democratic primary election with 76% of the vote. She then easily won against Republican Joseph DioGuardi in the general election. She won with 63% of the vote.
2012 Election
Gillibrand's special election win meant she served the rest of Clinton's term. This term ended in January 2013. Gillibrand ran for a full six-year term in November 2012.
She faced Wendy E. Long, a lawyer running as a Republican. Gillibrand won the election with 72.2% of the vote. This was the largest victory margin for a statewide candidate in New York history.
2018 Election
Gillibrand was reelected for her second full term in the Senate. She defeated Republican Chele Chiavacci Farley with 67% of the vote. She promised to serve her full six-year term if reelected.
2024 Election
Gillibrand was reelected for her third full Senate term. She won against Republican Mike Sapraicone with 58.9% of the vote.
Key Work in the Senate
When Gillibrand was in the House, she was seen as a moderate Democrat. But since joining the Senate, her political views have become more liberal. This change reflects the different people she serves.
In 2009, Gillibrand made headlines for saying she kept guns at home. Her staff later clarified that she no longer stored guns under her bed.
Gillibrand strongly supported having a Latino person nominated to the Supreme Court. She and Senator Chuck Schumer introduced Sonia Sotomayor at her Senate hearing in 2009.
One of Gillibrand's big wins was the passage of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010. This law ended the policy that prevented openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the military. Gillibrand was a key leader in getting this ban removed.
In 2011, Gillibrand helped pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. This law helped 9/11 first responders and survivors get health benefits and medical care. She continued to work on this issue, helping to make the program permanent in 2015 and ensuring it was fully funded in 2019. In 2022 and 2023, she helped secure more funding for the program.
In 2012, Gillibrand helped write part of the STOCK Act. This law limited insider trading by members of Congress. In 2023, she introduced a new bill with Senator Josh Hawley. This bill would completely ban stock ownership for members of Congress and their families.
Starting in 2013, Gillibrand worked to improve the military justice system. In 2022, she successfully added parts to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. This shifted the power to prosecute serious crimes from commanders to special military lawyers.
In December 2013, Gillibrand introduced the FAMILY Act. This bill aimed to create a national paid family and medical leave program. This would allow workers to take paid time off for family or health reasons. She has reintroduced this bill many times. She is a strong supporter of paid family leave. In 2023, she co-founded a group to develop bipartisan ideas for paid leave.
By 2013, Gillibrand was known for connecting with people to promote her policy goals. For example, she created a website with videos of gay and lesbian veterans sharing their stories. She was also very determined in her work.
In 2014, Time magazine included Gillibrand in its list of the 100 most influential people.
In 2022, Gillibrand helped pass two laws to reform workplaces. Both bills passed with strong support.
In June 2022, Gillibrand helped pass a law to make gun trafficking a federal crime. She first introduced this bill in 2009. The main part of her bill passed in 2022 as part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA).
In August 2022, Gillibrand helped pass the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022. This law provides health benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. She had introduced this bill in 2020. It helps veterans who developed serious illnesses after being near burn pits during their service.
Since 2022, Gillibrand has been among the top members of Congress for securing special funding for projects in her state. She obtained over $230 million for New York projects in 2022 and over $267 million in 2023.
Senate Committee Work
Gillibrand serves on these committees:
- Committee on Appropriations
- Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (ranking member)
- Committee on Armed Services
- Special Committee on Aging (ranking member)
- Select Committee on Intelligence
Her Presidential Campaign
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In early 2019, Gillibrand announced she was forming a committee to explore running for president. She officially announced her campaign on March 17, 2019. Like other Democratic candidates, she promised not to accept campaign donations from special interest groups.
Gillibrand participated in the first two Democratic presidential debates. She suspended her campaign on August 28, 2019. This was because she did not meet the requirements to qualify for the third debate.
What She Believes In
When Gillibrand was in the House, she was a centrist Democrat. Since becoming a senator, her political views have shifted to be more liberal.
Gillibrand supports Medicare-for-all. She believes health care should be a right for everyone. She also supports a federal jobs guarantee.
She advocates for government transparency. She is one of the few members of Congress who share a lot of their personal and scheduling information.
In 2024, Gillibrand introduced a new bill to help military veterans and service members with traumatic brain injuries. She has also been critical of the second Trump administration.
Her Stance on Accountability
Gillibrand has a "zero tolerance" approach to accusations of misconduct by members of Congress. She was the first senator in her party to call for Senator Al Franken to resign. In 2017, she also said that Bill Clinton should have resigned when his past conduct was revealed.
In 2019, a former aide to Gillibrand raised concerns about a male staffer. After an investigation, the staffer was fired.
In 2025, Kirsten Gillibrand commented on former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. She said she was troubled by the accusations against him. However, she did not call for his resignation. When Cuomo announced his candidacy for mayor, Gillibrand praised his executive talent.
Personal Life
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Gillibrand met her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, on a blind date. He is a British venture capitalist. They married in a Catholic church in Manhattan in 2001. They have two sons.
Gillibrand worked until the day her first son was born. She received a standing ovation from her House colleagues for this. Because of her job, she and her family mainly live in Washington, D.C.. In 2011, they moved closer to her family in Albany, New York. Gillibrand currently lives in Albany.
Books She Has Written
In 2014, Gillibrand published her first book, Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World. This book was a memoir. It discussed her experiences and claims of sexism in the Senate. Off the Sidelines became a best-seller on The New York Times list for nonfiction books.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2019
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Kirsten Gillibrand's signature
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Gillibrand speaking at a White House summit (2014)
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Gillibrand 2020 campaign logo
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See also
In Spanish: Kirsten Gillibrand para niños
- List of United States senators from New York
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- Women in the United States Senate
