Kirsten Gillibrand

Kirsten Gillibrand TIME 100
Marco Grob for TIME

The U.S. Senate's rising Democratic star

When she was my intern, no task was too small for Kirsten Gillibrand. She did a lot of casework, following up with farmers and veterans, solving their problems. She was great with constituents. That kind of dedication is always an indicator of good things to come.

When she first ran for the House, I thought that race was impossible to win, but she never gave up and she did it. She has taken that same bright, tenacious spirit I saw in her as my intern to the House and then the Senate, serving her constituents and fighting hard on issues like sexual assault in the military.

Don’t ever underestimate her. She can go as far as she likes. If Kirsten Gillibrand wants to be a rock star, she’ll be a rock star. But she’d make a great President. When she draws a line in the sand, everyone knows not to cross it.

D’Amato is a former Republican U.S. Senator from New York

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