Ambitious Gillibrand Disliked by Peers

Newly named Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand isn't too popular among her peers, Politico reports. The ambitious politician, who took Hillary Clinton's old seat today, has earned the nickname “Tracy Flick”—a reference to Reese Witherspoon's competitive, bubbly character in Election—for bypassing older lawmakers on her way up the ladder. “Nobody really likes her,” groused one member of Congress from New York.

But powerful politicians like Hillary Clinton and David Paterson clearly like her competitive style. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was upset over Gillibrand's attempt to snag a House Ways and Means seat slated for another pol, gave her a kiss during her swearing-in. Still, the senator "is going to have to prove to a lot of people in the delegation" that she can cooperate, one New York Democrat said. (More Kirsten Gillibrand stories.)