By Alexander Burns and Jessica Taylor
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sounded unconcerned Tuesday about the prospect of facing billionaire Mort Zuckerman in her fight for reelection this November, telling MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell that she's faced wealthy opponents before.
"I ran two of the toughest races in the country the last two election cycles," Gillibrand said. "My last race, I was outspent. I was outspent my first race. I was outspent in my second race. But I was not outworked."
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sounded unconcerned Tuesday about the prospect of facing billionaire Mort Zuckerman in her fight for reelection this November, telling MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell that she's faced wealthy opponents before.
"I ran two of the toughest races in the country the last two election cycles," Gillibrand said. "My last race, I was outspent. I was outspent my first race. I was outspent in my second race. But I was not outworked."
Asked if her path to reelection would be easier if embattled Gov. David Paterson resigned, Gillibrand replied: "I don't think that's relevant to my race."
"There is an ongoing investigation that Attorney General Cuomo is conducting right now that will release the facts" about Paterson's behavior, Gillibrand said. "The allegations are very serious."
Gillibrand also reacted to the news that Harold Ford Jr. would not challenge her in the Democratic primary. Although Ford had appeared on “Morning Joe” saying he was confident he could have beaten the appointed senator, she disagreed: “I don’t think there was a path to victory there for him.”
As for Ford's claims in his New York Times op-ed posted online late Monday night that party bosses tried to intimidate him into not running, Gillibrand said that New York Democrats had simply been lining up behind her because she is a "strong leader."
"He may well be disappointed that people have chosen me over him, but that’s the reality of trying to earn the support of 20 million people," she added.
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"There is an ongoing investigation that Attorney General Cuomo is conducting right now that will release the facts" about Paterson's behavior, Gillibrand said. "The allegations are very serious."
Gillibrand also reacted to the news that Harold Ford Jr. would not challenge her in the Democratic primary. Although Ford had appeared on “Morning Joe” saying he was confident he could have beaten the appointed senator, she disagreed: “I don’t think there was a path to victory there for him.”
As for Ford's claims in his New York Times op-ed posted online late Monday night that party bosses tried to intimidate him into not running, Gillibrand said that New York Democrats had simply been lining up behind her because she is a "strong leader."
"He may well be disappointed that people have chosen me over him, but that’s the reality of trying to earn the support of 20 million people," she added.
http://www.politico.com//news/stories/0310/33788.html