Gillibrand makes big moves toward 2020 campaign

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is moving aggressively toward an expected presidential bid, filling out key staff positions and nearing a choice on the location for a campaign headquarters, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.

The New York Democrat is considering a February announcement, according to one person familiar with the discussions, who cautioned that the partial government shutdown could have an impact on the timing.

Still, Gillibrand is filling out important staff positions, including recruiting Meredith Kelly, the former spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, to head her communications efforts, according to the person. Alexandria Phillips, Gillibrand’s congressional press secretary and a former Hillary Clinton aide, and Jess Fassler, who served as Gillibrand’s Senate chief of staff, will also join the campaign, the person said.

Dan McNally, a veteran Democratic operative who managed Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet’s campaign in 2016, will also come on board.

Gillibrand’s team is eyeing Troy, New York, a small upstate city on the Hudson River, as a headquarters, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.

All of the people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

The selection of Troy, 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of Manhattan, could allow Gillibrand to highlight her roots in upstate New York, where she was born and later represented in Congress before being appointed to the Senate. Gillibrand’s representatives didn’t comment Thursday on her choice of headquarters.

If Gillibrand enters the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, she will join a field that could draw dozens of candidates, including many of her Senate colleagues. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has already formed an exploratory committee and is moving quickly with trips across early primary states. California Sen. Kamala Harris, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, are all weighing their own presidential bids and are expected to announce decisions in the upcoming weeks.