Is The Gillibrand Candidacy A Waste Of Time And Money?

It is an understatement to say the Kirsten Gillibrand bandwagon is off to a slow start. That bandwagon seems to be motionless.

Gillibrand, in the first quarter, raised less money than any of the other supposedly qualified candidates. And in every national poll of Democratic candidates to date, she has scored less than 2% support.

Why is she having so much trouble get her candidacy off the ground?

You might think that it's because she's not well known to voters outside her home state of New York. That's true. But she's not even very popular inside the state of New York. A Quinnipiac University Poll from last March (done of New York voters) showed she has a favorable rating from only 29%, while she was viewed unfavorably by 35%. And it wasn't a whole lot better among Democrats (42% favorable to 20% unfavorable). That's not good when less than half of home state Dems view her favorably. Why should national Democrats support her when her home state doesn't?

Gillibrand was quick to jump on board the "Me Too" movement. Nothing wrong with that, since that's something most Democrats support. But she did it by knifing Senator Al Franken in the back by demanding he resign from the Senate -- because of a right-wing effort to denigrate him with a fake accusation. Most Democrats were upset by that, even women, because they knew Franken was one of the strongest male supporters of women's rights in the Senate.

Another reason for her slow start is that there doesn't seem to be a lane for her to run in. For those wanting a woman to be nominated, there are three other female senators in the race -- Elizabeth Warren (on the left), Kamala Harris (center-left), and Amy Klobuchar (centrist). All are more credible and better campaigners, and that haven't left Gillibrand with a constituency to appeal to.

Also troubling some is her seeming with on issues. As a House member, she was center-right on issues. To become a senator, she moved to the left. What are her real beliefs?

There is no candidate for which the June debates are more important than Gillibrand. She must break out after a great debate performance, and star showing better in the polls. If she doesn't, her candidacy may not last out this year.