Is Harold Ford Jr. the man to topple Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand?

Kirsten Gillibrand has had a pretty amazing ride. Corporate attorney turned giant-slayer, she shoved aside John Sweeney in the 2006 House race.

After beating Sandy Treadwell handily to win a second term, the Democrat was suddenly tapped by Governor David Paterson to fill Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate seat.

From complete unknown to the pinnacle of New York politics in a few years. Wow.

That leap means there have been growing pains, including public feuds with downstate Dems and some quick shifts in her own political views.

Now Harold Ford Jr. enters the picture. He’s a former rising star in the Democratic Party, who’s been stuck in neutral for a few years.

New York state has always been fairly welcoming to carpetbaggers. So he’s testing the water.
Fair enough.

But my sense, having watched Sen. Gillibrand from her first campaign swings through the North Country, is that her backtrail is littered with people who underestimated her.

When she was named to the Senate, some of the state’s political reporters were predicting a quick downfall.

She was too conservative, too presumptuous, and too Upstate. She and her Accidental Governor would soon be distant memories.

But then something curious happened.

Everyone who poked at her armor came away frustrated, or with burnt fingers. Democratic and Republican contenders alike decided it wasn’t worth it.

Why is she such a tough opponent?

For starters, ruthless diligence. Like Clinton before her, Sen. Gillibrand has made a science of locking down key supporters, from pro-choice and women’s rights activists to core Democratic leaders.

It’s hard to run a primary against a woman backed by Chuck Schumer and Barack Obama.

She’s also built a robust war chest and from her perch in the Senate has every opportunity to out-fundraise almost any opponent short of Michael Bloomberg.

So is Ford the guy who can find a chink in those defenses?

It’s hard to see how. If she’s unknown, he’s more unknown. If she’s too conservative for Manhattan Dems, he’s more conservative.

There are people in New York City who would dearly like to find a champion, any champion, who best Kirsten Gillibrand in the Democratic primaries.

They know that if she wins election in 2010, she’s a permanent fixture.

But if Ford is their best remaining option, that’s an indication of just how well Sen. Gillibrand has cleared the political field.

Tags: election10