Aide: Kirsten Gillibrand picked as next NY senator

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, N.Y. – Democratic congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the New York governor's pick to fill Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's vacate Senate seat.

An aide to the governor tells The Associated Press that the 42-year-old Gillibrand will be named by Gov. David Paterson on Friday. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not been made.

Gillibrand (JIL'-uh-brand) was a dark horse, lacking the name recognition of Caroline Kennedy, who withdrew her candidacy, or even the seniority of other New York representatives vying for the job.

But she is a proven vote-getter in her sprawling eastern New York district. She picked off an entrenched Republican incumbent in 2006 and cruised to re-election last year.