The T-U handicaps Kirsten Gillibrand for US Sen

The Albany Times-Union has a nice survey of all the possible Hillary-replacement picks. Names range from Nita Lowey to Andrew Cuomo.

Here’s the paper’s view of North Country Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, who was re-elected earlier this month to a second term. Those numbers in the first line reflect her power-ranking — first in New York state, then in the House.

Kirsten Gillibrand (Central New York): #22 in NY, #255 in House, Age: 41

• Stats: Elected 2006, Committees: Agriculture, Armed Services
• Demographic advantages: woman, Upstater, represents a heavily-Republican district
• Power ranking: “Too few terms or years in office in Congress to have significant clout, Successfully amended one or more bills on the floor of the House or Senate, Member has reduced power due to Freshman status.”
• Fundraising: Raised: $4,482,340, Spent: $3,638,157, Banked: $886,445
• Pork: $23,848,500
• Pros: Female, from upstate, proven strong fundraiser, represents a heavily-Republican district.
• Cons: Low statewide name recognition, very short tenure in office – only won her second term in office this month.

Bottom line? Probably not a serious contender, but it’s fun to at least have a regional name on the list.