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(UPDATE: By my count, these are the 10 counties that have yet to endorse at this time: Bronx, Delaware, Fulton, Kings, New York, Niagara, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk and Tompkins. Only four of those counties - Delaware, Fulton, Niagara and Tompkins - are in upstate New York. The rest are around New York City or Long Island.)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has already racked up a number of key endorsements from elected officials, unions and other important figures and organizations.
But this endorsement announcement is the biggest of them all.
Gillibrand's campaign announced today that 52 county Democratic chairs have endorsed her in her bid for election in 2010. This is a huge announcement and gives Gillibrand serious party backing as she faces a possible primary challenge from Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
Here are some of the remarks given by county chairs in their endorsement of Gillibrand:
"I am proud to endorse Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate," Westchester County Chair, Reginald LaFayette said. "Kirsten is a voice that Westchester County families and businesses can count on - working tirelessly to forge new, innovative solutions to fix health care, and put renewable energy at the heart of our efforts to rebuild the economy and create new, well-paying jobs for New York."
"I am proud to endorse Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate because she will be a strong advocate for families and businesses on Long Island," said Chairman Jay Jacobs of Nassau County. "In just four short months, Kirsten has proven to leaders on Long Island that she understands our challenges and shares our values. From her efforts to reduce property taxes to securing funding to create jobs on the Island, Kirsten is working tirelessly on solutions for families and businesses in Nassau County."
"I am pleased to endorse Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate. Senator Gillibrand understands the needs of families during these hard economic times," said Len Lenihan, Erie County Chair. "Senator Gillibrand knows that high speed rail is a key component of Western New York's economic recovery. She is working with President Obama and our Congressional Delegation to create jobs in Erie County and secure the federal dollars we need to promote economic growth."
"After meeting Senator Gillibrand four times this year during her numerous visits to Western, New York, I strongly recommend her re-election," Cattaraugus County Chair, Dan McCandless said. "Her knowledge and support of upstate farmers fills a key need for Cattaraugus County and other upstate areas whose economies depend on family farms. The Senator has also authored legislation to help veterans receive the benefits they earned and she fought for the greatest investment in Veteran's benefits since World War II. I am proud to endorse Senator Gillibrand and look forward to working with her for years to come."
I have included the full list of county chairs below the fold. I should note that the only county they put the incorrect name of the chair down for was my county, Orleans. That was an easy edit I made. The correct name is Jeanne Crane. The incorrect name was Judy Baker's, who does serve as chair of Ontario County (as was recognized on the endorsement list).
The importance of this endorsement announcement cannot be understated. Having this much party support at this stage is huge. A primary challenge by anyone (including Jonathan Tasini) was severely weakened today with this announcement. While it isn't impossible to win, it sure makes it hard on those who are trying to win a statewide race when there is very little statewide support left.
As a resident of New York, a member of the Orleans County Democratic Committee and a blogger here in the New York netroots, I am proud to support Kirsten Gillibrand for Senate and I hope that everyone, fellow Democrats and progressive bloggers alike, will realize that Gillibrand's leadership and representation are exactly what we need. She is the best person for the job.
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