Gillibrand receives mixed reviews following presidential campaign
By: Nolan Cleary
Staff Writer
A growing field of candidates has formed in light of the upcoming 2020 election, one of which is New York’s own Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand.
Gillibrand, who once represented the Hudson River valley in the U.S. House of Representatives, joined the Senate after Hillary Clinton resigned to become Secretary of State.
At one point Gillibrand was considered a contender to be Clinton’s running mate in 2016, but now the 52-year-old said she’s running to be America’s first female commander-in-chief.
Students at Hudson Valley Community College had mixed feelings about their support for the Senator’s run.
Andrew Nelson, an environmental science major and independent in politics, is considering supporting Gillibrand, supporting her accomplishments as Senator.
“She has more credibility and time in the position [as Senator] than the other [Democrats],” Nelson said.
Austin Nicholos, a left-leaning independent studying business administration, cited her support of Medicare for All and gun control as reasons for strong voter appeal.
“I think people are really opening up to the idea of a female President,” he added.
Not all students are on board with Gillibrand’s candidacy though.
Republican and individual studies student, Matthew Conner, plans to support the President’s re-election bid.
“I feel like he’s made a lot of good changes to this country,” Conner said. “I don’t agree with all the changes he’s made, but I agree with a large portion, even a majority.”
He referenced Trump’s environmental deregulations and fiscal policies as his reasoning for supporting him.
Joseph Forester, a student in individual studies and a registered Democrat, is also considering backing the President in 2020.
“As long as nothing goes bad between now and then,” he said.
Gillibrand may have an uphill battle if she hopes to be the Democratic nominee for the Presidency. According to CNN, she’s only polling around one percent nationally.
Nicholos believed that Gillibrand may lack name recognition. “I don’t think she has the presence social media wise,” he said.
Luis Marmolego, a politically independent student in exercise science, suspected that Gillibrand’s shortcomings in the polls could simply be attributed to the growing field of Democrats that are running alongside her. Gillibrand is one of eleven candidates currently in an expanding Democratic primary.
Political science professor, Robert Whitaker, additionally maintained that this could be the case.
“There are some other Democrats who established themselves as national candidates sooner,” Whitaker said. “A lot of the other names in the field are Democrats that ran previously or have a spent a lot of time in Washington,” he said. “It’s a name recognition thing.”
In spite of the crowded field, Whitaker believed there could be upsides. “It gives voters more choices,” Whitaker said. “It’s a more open debate,” he said. “It allows the electorate to be exposed to a wider field of political views.”
Marmolego thinks Gillibrand could have a better shot running in 2024.
“Maybe not in this election, but the next one Kirsten Gillibrand could be the one,” he said.
Digital media student, Destiny Pezzolla, believed there are ways Gillibrand can take steps to expand her base. “Try to appeal to younger people,” she said. “A lot younger people don’t vote.”
Gillibrand did not respond to a request for an interview from The Hudsonian in time for publication.