Gillibrand predicts Hillary will win

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) predicted Friday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would run for — and win — the presidency.

Gillibrand was asked during an interview with Bloomberg TV whether she believed a woman would one day become president.

{mosads}“I do,” Gillibrand said. “I think Hillary will run, and I think she will win.”

The former first lady is the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to polls, but has said she will not make a decision about whether to run until later this year. 

Gillibrand, who was appointed to fill Clinton’s Senate seat, after she was named secretary of State, has also been suggested as a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination.

The New York lawmaker sidestepped a question about whether she would seek higher office.

“I like the platform I have today. I can work on so many issues that New Yorkers need a voice on, whether it is fighting for food stamps for cancer or universal pre-K or sexual assault victims,” Gillibrand said. “I can make a difference. I feel privileged I have this job.”

Gillibrand also expressed disappointment after the Senate narrowly blocked her proposal to take sexual assault cases outside the military’s chain of command. The New York senator’s legislation fell five votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.

She said she would continue to fight for the reform effort.

“We did not fix the fundamental flaw in the system, where victims have told us that they do not trust the chain of command,” she said. “The reason why nine out of 10 victims do not report these crimes is because they don’t believe that commanders will do anything. Until you restore trust in the system, you are never going to solve the problem. You need to have a major cultural shift. That is what this had been able to do, had it passed.”