Though Senator-designate Kirsten E. Gillibrand made Harlem one of the first stops on her statewide “listening tour,” many New York City locals remain cautious about the outgoing upstate representative’s politics and her perceived outsider standing.
On Friday, Gov. David Paterson named Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was recently confirmed as Secretary of State by Congress. The following day, Gillibrand made a quick tour of local Harlem hotspots—visiting Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network headquarters on West 145th Street and then Sylvia’s, a soul food restaurant on Lenox Avenue between 126th and 127th streets.
But Gillibrand’s visit around the neighborhood wasn’t enough to garner a consensus in public opinion about her appointment. “I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude,” Louis Cholden-Brown, GS and JTS, said.
Many echoed Cholden-Brown’s caution in judging Gillibrand too quickly, admitting that they knew little about her past or her politics.
“I don’t know much about her policies, but I thought she was more qualified than [Caroline] Kennedy,” Jason Cook, GS, said.
Barnard political science professor Jim Caraley said he believes Paterson—who became governor after former Gov. Eliot Spitzer was caught in a sex scandal and resigned—made the right decision, even if it was a political move on his part.
“Paterson has to run in 2010, so he has to be careful,” Caraley said. “He wants someone who can help him in the election, and having an upstate person and a woman on the ticket with him probably will.”
A two-term member of the House of Representatives whose district contains Lake Placid and part of the Hudson Valley, Gillibrand is a fresh face to many downstate New Yorkers. But while some have expressed concern over her lack of connection to the portion of the state’s population that live in the city, others, like Cook, found this less important.
“It’s not like Hillary spent much time in the city either,” Cook said. “I don’t think you need to be from the city to have good policy.”
Meanwhile, Cholden-Brown anticipated that the addition of a more liberal demographic to Gillibrand’s constituent base could affect her politics.
“While I realize upstate is more conservative than downstate, I think she will quickly realize the power of the New York City vote and pocketbook,” he said.
Caraley, who has followed Gillibrand closely since she was elected in a typically Republican district, agreed that her politics would probably change when she assumed her new role.
“I think she was playing her constituency ... but she will change her politics if she wants to be elected,” he said. “My view is, if in the primaries, if she hasn’t changed her positions, people in New York City won’t vote for her and she’ll lose her election.”
While many are still developing their opinions on Gillibrand, the Columbia University College Democrats say they look forward to helping her develop as well.
“[The Dems] look forward to working with Senator-Designate Gillibrand to fight for progressive policy reform,” spokesperson Avi Edelman, CC ‘11, said in an e-mail, “She can expect to encounter our brand of liberal activism as she concretizes her positions on the issues facing our nation.”
Gillibrand is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday. A special election for the Senate seat will be held in 2010, when Clinton’s term would have ended.