Chuck Schumer is a hard act to follow. The 70-year-old Senate Majority Leader imbues all he does with his scrappy Brooklyn Jewish upbringing. Kristen Gillibrand, the junior senator from upstate New York who was raised Catholic, has a much more nuanced relationship with her state’s Jewish citizens.
In an interview after the inauguration of Joe Biden and as Schumer moved up to a broader governing position, Gillibrand, 54, said she aims to “be a resource and an advocate for all of our Jewish communities in New York,” adding: “That is a priority for me.”
In the 12 years since her appointment to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate, Gillibrand — fresh off a failed bid for president in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary — has established herself, particularly on issues like women’s rights, equal pay, sexual abuse and, healthcare and ethics. That earned her a 100% rating from women’s rights advocacy and progressive groups. At the same time, Gillibrand has also pushed for the inclusion of kosher and halal foods in federal food programs and secured security grants for yeshivas and Jewish institutions.