This morning the Post’s Frederic U. Dicker suggested that our new senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, is nervous that she has no shot in a reelection bid in two years, during which she could face fellow Democrat Representative Carolyn McCarthy. The Observer’s Azi Paybarah spent the rest of the day trying to figure out whether Gillibrand, in fact, has reason to worry. First he asked Senator Chuck Schumer if he would support his new colleague — and Schumer’s response sounded like an endorsement, but wasn’t. “I don’t endorse two years before a primary. Never have,” he said. “I have every expectation that I will, because she’ll do a good job.” That sounds silly — why bother explicitly not endorsing her, then?
Gillibrand probably breathed a bit easier when the invitations to her first fund-raiser went out later in the day, though. Turns out she’ll have Bill Clinton working on her team, raising money for her campaign war chest and appearing at the event. Bill is always a gamble to have on the stump for you, but generally, if you’re not his wife, your luck is a lot better.
Gillibrand Gets (Bill) Clinton for Fund-Raiser [NYO]
Schumer Expects to Endorse Gillibrand, But Doesn’t Yet [NYO]
Related: 150 Minutes With Carolyn McCarthy [NYM]
