Holly Otterbein & Brittany Gibson | Politico | April 30, 2023
For months, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand faced nagging questions about whether she’d be primaried from her left when she was up for reelection next year. The chatter grew so loud that party insiders wondered if she’d run at all.
But since the New York Democrat formally announced her reelection bid in January, she appears to be clearing the field.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), one of Gillibrand’s strongest possible challengers, is all but closing the door on a possible run.
“She is not planning to run for Senate in 2024. She is not planning to primary Gillibrand,” Lauren Hitt, Ocasio-Cortez’s spokesperson, told POLITICO.
Other possible challengers have already opted out of the race. Former New York Rep. Mondaire Jones, a progressive, has decided he won’t run for Gillibrand’s seat next year after privately considering a bid, according to a person familiar with his plans who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about internal deliberations. Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) also told POLITICO they are not interested in the race….
