Kirsten E. Gillibrand

Biography

Overview

Kirsten Gillibrand is a Democratic U.S. Senator from New York serving since 2009. Born December 9, 1966, she graduated from Dartmouth College and UCLA School of Law. Before her Senate appointment by Governor David Paterson to fill Hillary Clinton's vacated seat, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009, representing New York's 20th congressional district. She has been reelected to full Senate terms in 2012, 2018, and 2024.

Career

Gillibrand has secured major legislative wins including the 2010 repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the 2011 James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act and its subsequent reauthorizations, the 2022 gun trafficking provisions in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and 2022 reforms on sexual assault in the military, workplace sexual harassment/assault enforcement, and burn pit exposure for veterans. She authored portions of the 2012 STOCK Act limiting insider trading by Congress members and co-founded the Senate Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group in 2023. She secured over $230 million in earmarks for New York projects in 2022 and $267 million in 2023.

Prior political experience

Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate in January 2009. She won a special election in 2010 with 63% of the vote against former Republican congressman Joseph DioGuardi. She was reelected to a full six-year term in 2012 with 72.2% of the vote, the largest victory margin for a statewide candidate in New York history at that time. She was reelected in 2018 with 67% of the vote against Republican Chele Chiavacci Farley. She won reelection to a third full Senate term in 2024 with 58.9% of the vote against Republican Mike Sapraicone. In the House, she was first elected in 2006 with 53% of the vote in New York's traditionally Republican 20th district and reelected in 2008 with 62% of the vote.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal

Conservative

119th Congress-0.449

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1

+1

-0.308

Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 665 scored votes

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Officeholding history

Term	Seat	Term dates	Termination	Predecessor	Successor
4th	U.S. Senate NY Class 1	2025–present	In progress	Kirsten E. Gillibrand	—
3rd	U.S. Senate NY Class 1	2019–2025	Term ended	Kirsten E. Gillibrand	Kirsten E. Gillibrand
2nd	U.S. Senate NY Class 1	2013–2019	Term ended	Kirsten E. Gillibrand	Kirsten E. Gillibrand
1st	U.S. Senate NY Class 1	2009–2013	Term ended	—	Kirsten E. Gillibrand
2nd	U.S. House NY-20	2009–2009	Term ended	Kirsten E. Gillibrand	Paul Tonko
1st	U.S. House NY-20	2007–2009	Term ended	—	Kirsten E. Gillibrand

Committee assignments

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
SenateRanking Member· 2025–present
Senate Special Committee on Aging
SenateRanking Member· 2025–present
Cybersecurity
Senate· 2025–present
Strategic Forces
Senate· 2025–present
Senate Committee on Armed Services
Senate· 2025–present
Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Senate· 2025–present
Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Senate· 2025–present
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Senate· 2025–present
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Senate· 2025–present
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Senate· 2025–present
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Senate· 2025–present
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Senate· 2025–present

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term10

Bills cosponsored this term10

Elections

Year	Seat	Result	Vote share	Field
2018	State Senate NY-9	Lost	0.32%	Todd D. Kaminsky79.78% Francis X. Becker18.01% Brian Curran0.47% Cuomo0.47% Ann Becker0.32% Kirsten E. Gillibrand0.32% Jumaane Williams0.16% Jeff Halstead0.16% James0.16% Kathy Hochul0.16%