Gillibrand’s past moderate political positions have stoked speculation that she could be a strong general election candidate, but some of her old stances, such as her support for gun control that once earned her an “A” rating from the NRA, could hinder her during the Democratic primaries. She has argued that her thinking on some topics has evolved since joining the Senate. She now “proudly” has an ‘F’ rating.
(MORE: Here’s how the 2020 Democrats differ on gun control)
Like other progressives in the Democratic field, Gillibrand supports the Green New Deal, Medicare for all, universal pre-kindergarten, bail reform and a $15 minimum wage.
(MORE: Kirsten Gillibrand takes on Trump in first major speech of presidential campaign)
Fundraising:
Gillibrand announced that her campaign raised $2.3 million in the second quarter, with an average grassroots donation of $15. Her campaign closed out the second quarter of the year with more than $8.2 million cash on hand.
For Gillibrand, who has centered her campaign on fighting for reproductive rights, 65% of her online donors identified as women, according to the campaign.
Last quarter, Gillibrand raised $3 million, and transferred $9.6 million from her prior campaign committees. She ended the first quarter with $10.2 million cash on hand.
(More: 5 major takeaways from recent 2020 fundraising figures)
(More: 5 takeaways from the 1st major fundraising reports of the 2020 presidential race)
Jeff Topping/Polaris
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) speaks with patrons at the Scenic Route Bakery in the East Village of Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 19, 2019, after she spoke at the third annual Women’s March at the Iowa State Capitol.
What you might not know about her:
She was the second woman to enter the 2020 race behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who launched her campaign at the end of 2018.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Gillibrand was “among the least liberal members of the Democratic caucus” when she served in the House of Representatives, ranking 209th out of 241. However, in the Senate, she leaned more to the left and was the “seventh most liberal member of the 46-person Democratic caucus” in the last Congress.
She has voted against President Donald Trump’s positions “more often than any other senator” as of December 2017, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Gillibrand was the first senator to call on former Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to resign after he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. In an interview with Self Magazine in 2012, she shared that she then had a standing weekly squash date with Franken.
Gillibrand published a children’s book titled “Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote” in 2018.
According to Gillibrand’s official website, she was “the first member of Congress ever to post her official daily meetings, earmarks and personal financial disclosures online.”
She graduated in 1984 from the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York — the first all-women’s high school in the United States.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
