Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Gillibrand Too Gun-Happy for NY, Rival Says

Long Island Rep. McCarthy threatens challenge in 2010

By Gabriel Winant, Newser User

Posted Jan 23, 2009 10:43 AM CST

(Newser) – Citing her support of guns, Long Island Rep. Carolyn McCarthy is threatening a 2010 primary challenge to reported Senate appointee Kirsten Gillibrand, Newsday reports. McCarthy, a gun-control advocate, lost her husband in a 1993 shooting spree. “I’m not going to let New York state get represented by someone who gets a 100% rating from the NRA,” she says of fellow Democrat Gillibrand.

New York Dems are hoping to avoid a fight. A spokesman for Sen. Charles Schumer says of Gillibrand, “Like any Democrat, we should give that person a chance.” Adds the chairman of the Nassau Democrats (McCarthy’s home base), “What she meant to say is that if Gillibrand is selected, that she would need to moderate her views on gun control.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

New York Sen. Charles Schumer urges Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, left, to support Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand if she's appointed to Hillary Clinton's seat; "I'm sorry, I can't," McCarthy tells Newsday. (AP Photo)

Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, the reported selection to replace Hillary Clinton as New York senator, is too soft on guns, a rival lawmaker charges. (AP Photo)

New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has been a gun-control activist since her husband died and a son was injured in a 1993 shooting spree at a Long Island commuter rail station. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

I've spent 15 years trying to prevent gun violence in this country, and if he does pick her and if no one goes and primaries her, I will primary her. - Carolyn McCarthy

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Schumer's Wall Street Donors Look for Revenge

Which might explain Harold Ford's run

(NEWSER) - Chuck Schumer is making enemies in high places among "his wealthiest and most powerful constituents," writes Chris Smith. These Wall Street honchos have long poured money into Schumer's campaign coffers, but now they think he's not doing enough to protect them from regulation attempts. “Chuck says, ‘I’ve been there to help you,’ ” says one lobbyist. “Well, that’s when we were playing stickball. Now we’re in a cage match and he’s hiding under his desk.” More»

Gillibrand Is Coakley 2.0

New York's incumbent can't communicate, and that could be her downfall

(NEWSER) - Kirsten Gillibrand bears a lot of unfortunate similarities to Martha Coakley, and could soon suffer the same fate. Like Coakley, she assumes she’s in for a cakewalk, with the full weight of her party behind her in a mostly-blue state. And like Coakley, she has “dreadful communication skills,” writes Steve Kornacki at the Daily Beast . “She talks, often for far too long, almost exclusively in political clichés. There is no blood in her veins.” More»

NY Senate Race Gets Ugly Fast

Incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand, challenger Harold Ford Jr. out for blood

(NEWSER) - Kirsten Gillibrand isn’t playing nice anymore. The New York Democrat is heeding advisers’ counsel and going for the jugular against Senate primary opponent Harold Ford Jr., who’s been lobbing bombs faster than she can keep up. Until now, Gillibrand’s mostly attacked Ford through proxies, generating little buzz in New York’s tabloid-dominated media scene. But in a recent statement, she blasted Ford as an anti-abortion, anti-gay rights Wall Street pawn, Politico reports. More»

Ford Defies Obama, Confirms Senate Run

But White House is backing Kirsten Gillibrand

(NEWSER) - Harold Ford Jr. is running for Senate in New York, he sort of announced today—but it's without support from the White House. In a column in today’s New York Post titled “Ford: I’m Gearing up for Senate Race,” Ford says he’s “strongly considering,” such a run, before going on to outline the reasons New Yorkers should vote for him. "Some have already questioned whether I should be running," he writes. "Others are falsifying my record in public life. New York deserves a free election." More»

Schumer Lands in Hot Water Over 'Bitch' Comment

Flight attendant made him hang up on Harry Reid

(NEWSER) - Chuck Schumer set off an unfortunate cascade of events Sunday when he bridled at a flight attendant’s request that he turn off his cell phone so a plane could take off and then muttered that she was a “bitch.” As the story circulated around the Beltway, it drew in his seatmate on the plane, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who initially tried to give Schumer cover by saying he was "polite" to the attendant, notes the New York Post . More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Gillibrand Too Gun-Happy for NY, Rival Says