A fundraising appeal for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sent today by former Hillary Clinton advisor Ann Lewis raises the specter of former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. and insists Gillibrand the only contender who can truly claim the "progressive" mantle.
"Let's get real - a lot of people have talked about making a run for the U.S. Senate in New York, with Harold Ford Jr., being the latest," Lewis writes. "But there's only one candidate who has the progressive values we care about - and the record to match: Kirsten Gillibrand."
"Not one of the current contenders - Democrat or Republican - has consistently supported a woman's right to choose like Kirsten has. Not one has made an unequivocal stand in support of marriage equality, and not one has worked tirelessly to repeal the unfair and discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy - except for Kirsten.""At a time when so many issues in the Senate are being decided by just a few votes, we can't afford to go backward! It's time to show the pundits and the naysayers that New York wants a progressive champion as its senator."
Lewis also mentions Gillibrand's opposition to the so-called Stupak Amendment, but doesn't mention Ford's record on choice (actually, aside from that initial mention of the former Tennessee congressman in the first line, she doesn't bring him up again at all).
Gillibrand has raised just over $7 million since she was tapped last January by Gov. David Paterson to fill Clinton's US Senate seat. She had $4.1 million on hand at the end of September.
