Gillibrand: If reelected ‘I will serve my six-year term’

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) rebutted speculation she is running for president in 2020 and vowed to serve her full term if reelected to a second full term in the Senate this November.

“I will serve my six-year term,” Gillibrand said during a debate against Republican challenger Chele Farley, who serves as the financial chair for New York’s Republican Party. She also noted that she had visited all 62 of New York’s counties and held 16 town halls during her reelection campaign.

{mosads}Farley scoffed at the comment, saying, “Honestly, I don’t believe that,” and noted Gillibrand had visited states such as New Hampshire, a crucial state in a successful presidential bid because of its early primary elections. 

Gillibrand, who also campaigned for Philadelphia-area candidates earlier this month, replied, “I think campaigning for other candidates around our state and around the country is important. We need a Congress that actually supports the values of New York voters.” 

“That means making sure that health care is a right, not a privilege, making sure that anybody who wants to be working hard can be working hard and having the right job training, and that’s why it’s important for me to support women running for office. We need to change the players list,” she added. 

Speculation around Gillibrand’s presidential aspirations has been a theme of Farley’s campaign, which released an ad in July saying, “Instead of a promotion, Gillibrand should be fired.”

The New York Senate race is not considered to be competitive. A recent Quinnipiac University poll had Gillibrand up 25 points.

Politicians sometimes distance themselves from talks of presidential campaigns while running for reelection. Earlier this year, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) denied she would run for president, but then said she would explore the option after the midterm elections.

Democrats are likely to field a wide range of candidates against President Trump in 2020, including several of Gillibrand’s colleagues including Sens. Warren, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), as well as other possible candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Several potential candidates have already visited multiple presidential swing states, fueling further rumors they are considering presidential runs.