Kirsten E. Gillibrand
DemocratU.S. Senator, NY| Age | 59 (b. 1966-12-09) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2007-01-04 (~19 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (English, Austrian, Scottish, German, and Irish ancestry) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic (self-identified; worships at various Christian churches and a multidenominational Senate Bible study) |
| Education | Emma Willard School (1984); B.A. in Asian Studies, Dartmouth College, magna cum laude (1988); J.D., UCLA School of Law (1991) |
| Prior occupation | Attorney (corporate litigation associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell and partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner); law clerk to Judge Roger Miner, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Special Counsel to HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Albany, New York |
| Languages | English; studied Mandarin Chinese (Asian Studies major, studied in Beijing and Taiwan) |
| Marital status | Married — Jonathan Gillibrand |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Brunswick, New York (near Albany); also an apartment in Washington, D.C. |
| Notable relatives | Maternal grandmother Dorothea 'Polly' Noonan, Albany Democratic political organizer who founded the Albany Democratic Women's Club; father Douglas Rutnik, an attorney and lobbyist; mother Penny Rutnik, an attorney |
Pending research: openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2006 |
| Previous offices | U.S. House of Representatives, New York's 20th congressional district (2007-2009) |
| Committees | Committee on Appropriations · Committee on Armed Services · Select Committee on Intelligence · Special Committee on Aging (Ranking Member) |
| Caucuses | Blue Dog Coalition (during U.S. House tenure) |
| Leadership | Chair, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) (2025-) · Ranking Member, Senate Special Committee on Aging (2025-) |
| Party history | Democrat throughout career; ideologically shifted from a moderate/conservative Blue Dog Democrat in the House toward a more liberal/progressive position in the Senate (no formal party switch) |
| Ideology | Moderate Blue Dog Democrat in the House; moved to a reliably liberal/progressive voting record in the Senate. Per FiveThirtyEight, only ~12% of her votes aligned with the Trump administration position during his first term, the lowest of any senator. |
| Signature legislation | Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 · James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (2011) · STOCK Act (2012) - insider trading restrictions on members of Congress · Military Justice Improvement Act / 2022 NDAA provisions moving sexual assault prosecution out of the military chain of command · Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 (veterans' burn pit exposure) · Speak Out Act (2022) · Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (2022) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $1,215,004–$5,550,000 (2023) · estimate
| Citi Money Market & Checking bank deposit | other · $1,000,001–$5,000,000 · 2023 |
| US Senate Federal Credit Union bank deposit | other · $100,001–$250,000 · 2023 |
| US Senate Federal Credit Union bank deposit (second account) | other · $15,001–$50,000 · 2023 |
| TrustCo Bank deposit | other · $100,001–$250,000 · 2023 |
| Home in Brunswick, New York | real_estate · 2023 |
| Apartment in Washington, D.C. | real_estate · 2023 |
| Wind Crest LLC (medical services investment vehicle) | business_owned · $15,000–$50,000 |
Top donors: Corning Inc (top donor to Gillibrand Victory Fund, 2024 cycle) ($104,400)
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.