The ascent of Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to the Senate seat sought, then not sought, by Caroline Kennedy, puts the baroque calculations of Albany on the national stage.(The Week)(Brief article)

The ascent of Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to the Senate seat sought, then not sought, by Caroline Kennedy, puts the baroque calculations of Albany on the national stage. Gillibrand, a 42-year-old veteran of all of one House term, has an air of freshness, belied by a family history of politicking: She interned for Al D'Amato, her father was a lobbyist, her grandmother was what the New York Times calls a "confidant" of Albany mayor-for-life Erastus Corning. Sen. Charles Schumer pushed Gillibrand as a pro-gun pol (NRA rating: 100 percent) who could carry upstate. But unless she moves left, she will face a ...