Dear John,

I wanted you to hear it first. Kirsten is running for reelection to the United States Senate in 2024.

And as the top New York elected official on the ticket, Kirsten is committed to running a well-resourced, vigorous campaign that will not only be successful but will lift down-ballot races and help us win back the congressional seats we need to take back the House majority. The road to Democrats retaking the House runs right through New York. 

Unfortunately, the truth is that New York Republicans just had their best election result in two decades. 

We have a lot of work to do, but our team is prepared. Kirsten has already won three statewide elections and has never been in a better position to win reelection and lead New York Democrats to victory. 

Here’s why…

Strong name ID and high approval ratings with Democrats and general election voters

An October 2022 Quinnipiac poll [[link removed]] showed that Kirsten is well known and widely popular with Democratic voters (73% approve vs. 10% disapprove), as well as New Yorkers generally (45% approve vs. 36% disapprove). A December 2022 Siena poll [[link removed]] found similarly strong results: 61% favorable vs. 14% unfavorable among Democrats and 42% favorable vs. 27% unfavorable among all voters. 

Sizable and growing war chest

Despite not accepting corporate PAC money, Kirsten enters reelection with more than $5 million cash on hand, more than double her cash on hand entering the 2018 cycle, in which she raised nearly $18 million. Her campaign has received donations from every one of New York’s 62 counties. 

Historic vote getter

First elected to Congress to represent a rural 2-to-1 Republican district, Kirsten was appointed to the Senate in 2009. While the vast majority of New Yorkers did not know who she was and more than a dozen Democrats considered challenging her in the 2010 special election, Kirsten won 76% of the vote in the primary. In 2012, she set the record for the largest winning margin in New York senatorial election history, winning 72% of the vote, outperforming even President Barack Obama. In 2018, she once again decisively won reelection, earning 67% and outperforming the governor’s race.

New York values

From her exceptional environmental record to her unwavering record of fighting for organized labor and working people, Kirsten’s New York values serve as her North Star. She’s delivered results on jobs, accessible health care, affordable education, seniors and veterans–the priorities New Yorkers really care about. And now that the right-wing Supreme Court has turned back the clock on reproductive rights, Kirsten is working with federal, state and local partners and advocates to ensure that reproductive care is accessible to all those seeking it. 

Putting in the work

Kirsten has traveled extensively throughout New York’s 62 counties to hear directly from her constituents. She is the only New York statewide official to hold open town hall forums on a regular basis. Just recently, she held town hall meetings in all five boroughs as well as on Long Island and in Buffalo.  

Record of accomplishments for New York

Throughout her tenure, Kirsten has consistently delivered strong results for New Yorkers, compiling a record of accomplishments relating to gun trafficking, 9/11 health care, veterans, congressional ethics and more. 

Made gun trafficking a federal crime

After more than a decade of advocacy, Kirsten secured legislation to make gun trafficking a federal crime. In 2009, Kirsten introduced a bill to establish the first federal criminal penalties for gun trafficking, which would ultimately become known as the Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act. Major provisions from the bill were included in Congress’ 2022 bipartisan gun safety legislation.

Permanently enshrined 9/11 first responder benefit programs into law

In 2010, Kirsten spearheaded the passage of the bill to create the World Trade Center Health Program and reopen the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, providing health care and compensation for sick and dying first responders and rescue workers. She later led the successful effort to make both programs permanent.

Raised the bar on transparency

Kirsten led the effort to ban insider training in Congress with her authorship and passage of the STOCK Act. Additionally, she was the first member of Congress to post a “Sunlight Report” that included her official schedule, financial disclosures and earmark requests online.

Delivered benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits

Kirsten was at the forefront of the successful effort to extend VA health care and disability benefits to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. The PACT Act, which could help as many as three and a half million service members and veterans, removed the burden on veterans to prove that their illnesses and disabilities are directly related to their burn pit exposure in order to receive VA benefits. This is an important issue to Kirsten; in 2019, she passed a law to deliver benefits to Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange while serving on ships off the coast. 

Repealed discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy

In 2009, Gillibrand led the effort in the Senate to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” waging an 18-month campaign on the issue. Gillibrand pushed for a hearing on DADT, securing a commitment from Sen. Carl Levin to have the Senate Armed Services Committee hold the first one on the law in 16 years. 

Brought home critical funding for New York

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kirsten helped secure billions of dollars in funding for New York families, state and local governments, and local businesses. As part of this funding, Kirsten spearheaded the development of a new public health workforce, modeled off of her “Health Force” legislation, to build public health capacity in underserved communities. More than 500 new community health workers have already been hired and trained in New York City as part of this effort. And in the 2022 funding bill, Kirsten ranked in the top ten in all of Congress in terms of money delivered for constituents, securing $230.6 million for projects in New York State. 

Enacted some of the most significant workplace reforms in modern history

Kirsten successfully led the fight to end forced arbitration for sexual assault and sexual harassment. First introduced in 2017 and passed last year, her legislation prevents corporations from being able to force survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment into the secretive, biased arbitration process, voiding all such existing agreements and ending the practice for the future. She also just passed a bill that invalidates and prohibits predispute non-disclosure agreements in cases of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Secured funding to reconnect divided communities

In the 20th century, infrastructure projects cut through communities of color, walling them off from the local economy and displacing thousands of New Yorkers and more than one million people nationwide. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $1 billion to enact key provisions of Gillibrand’s Build Local, Hire Local Act for federal infrastructure projects and prioritized the hiring and training of local workers. 

Led the fight to change the military justice system

Starting in 2013, Kirsten called on the Pentagon to reform how it handled sexual assault and introduced legislation to have sexual assault cases and other serious, non-military crimes removed from the military chain of command, and she has never backed down despite years of roadblocks and institutional pushback. In this year’s defense bill, this critical reform is finally being implemented. 

Inserted paid leave into the national debate

In 2013, Kirsten introduced her paid family and medical leave legislation, the FAMILY Act, which would establish the first national paid leave program in our nation’s history. Since then, national paid leave has become a staple of Democrats’ presidential platforms, and her leadership paved the way for an emergency paid leave program in the COVID response packages. She continues to work to make this critical program a reality. 

Tough. Determined. Relentless.

If you know Kirsten, you know that these three words are the key to her success. There is no candidate who will work harder than Kirsten Gillibrand or fight harder for New Yorkers. It’s why she’s won a special election and two reelections, and why she will win a third.

— Team Gillibrand

[link removed]



--------

This email was sent to [email protected].

To unsubscribe from this email list, please click here: [link removed]

© 2023 | Paid for by Gillibrand for Senate

Gillibrand for Senate c/o Verdolino & Lowey
124 Washington St., Ste. 101
Foxboro, MA 02035
United States