MICHELE NORRIS, host:
From NPR News, this is All Things Considered. I'm Michele Norris.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
And I'm Robert Siegel. First this hour, we're going to hear about the woman who's replacing Hillary Clinton in the Senate, and we'll talk with a member of Congress who is not happy about that choice. Today, New York Governor David Paterson made his long-awaited announcement and he chose a relatively unknown Democrat. North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann has our story.
BRIAN MANN: Governor Paterson spent weeks sorting through a half-dozen high-profile candidates, including Caroline Kennedy and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Speaking at a ceremony in Albany, Paterson said he's settled on Kirsten Gillibrand, a woman from upstate who could help knit New York together.
Governor PATERSON (New York): We have talked about how the downstate region often condescends to the upstate area. They will never condescend to Kirsten Gillibrand in the United States Senate.
MANN: As she stepped to the podium, Gillibrand seemed a little startled by her own, meteoric rise. A little over two years ago, she was a private attorney, albeit from a family with deep political connections.
Senator KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND: I realized that for many New Yorkers, this is the first time you've heard my name, and you don't know much about me. Over these next two years, you will get to know me but much more importantly, I will get to know you.
MANN: Gillibrand, who's 42 years old with two young children, appeared on stage with her husband and the phalanx of New York's top Democratic leadership, from Congresswoman Nita Lowey to Senator Charles Schumer.
Governor PATERSON: This morning, I spoke to a New York City journalist who said, why do we need someone from upstate? That got me angry. Upstate New York has 7 million people. It would be one of the 10 largest states without New York City and its surrounding suburbs.
MANN: That unified front up on the stage was necessary not just because Gillibrand is a newcomer who leapfrogged past other more senior Democrats. Her centrist political record has also raised alarms among some democratic constituencies. Hispanics were angered when she opposed issuing drivers licenses for undocumented workers; gun-control advocates are alarmed by her A-plus rating from the National Riffle Association. Gillibrand spoke directly to her critics, saying she would work to find compromise. But she repeated her support for gun rights.
Senator GILLIBRAND: My mom is probably the best shot in my family. You know, in upstate New York, you typically shoot the Thanksgiving turkey, so I've always wanted to protect hunters' rights because it's such an important part of our culture.
MANN: One Democratic lawmaker from Long Island, Caroline McCarthy, has already announced that she'll challenge Gillibrand in the primary before next year's special election. But one of the reasons Gillibrand's name rose to the top of Paterson's list was the fact that she's earned a reputation as a tough political fighter. Two years ago, she ran against a veteran upstate Republican, John Sweeney, hitting him hard with ads like this one, which compared her opponent to Joseph McCarthy.
(Soundbite of advertisement)
Mr. DAVID STRATHAIRN (Actor): Someone once stood up to the biggest bully America has ever known and asked, have you no decency sir?
MANN: Gillibrand won one of the nastiest campaigns in the country, scoring one of the biggest upsets. Governor Paterson, who will run for election next year, acknowledged today that he wants someone who can help Democrats like himself win outside of New York City.
Governor PATERSON: She goes into a district of the opposite party, she beats an over-20-year incumbent; she comes back the second time, she wins by 24 points.
MANN: Governor Paterson apologized for the apparently clumsy process that led to this pick. He also said publicly for the first time that he formally asked New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo not to seek the Senate seat. Paterson said that naming Cuomo would have started a new round of musical chairs in New York government at a time when the state faces a massive economic crisis. For NPR News, I'm Brian Mann in Albany, New York.