Kirsten Gillibrand’s Greatest 2020 Strength—and Biggest Weakness

Primary Politics

We asked opposition researchers to break down the likely Democratic field. Here’s what they had to say.

Gideon Resnick

Political Reporter

Updated Apr. 10, 2019 9:50PM ET / Published Jan. 07, 2019 5:14AM ET

It appears increasingly likely that the 2020 Democratic primary field will be the most wide open in recent memory, and perhaps in the history of American politics.

The Daily Beast spoke with opposition researchers and operatives in both parties to get a sense of what could prove helpful and harmful for candidates. These are the individuals whose job it is to understand and exploit the vulnerabilities of those running for office. All of them cautioned that their perspectives were not the same as predictions. But they still had insights to share, which The Daily Beast will be presenting in a multi-part series. Today, we look at Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) who has become a leading Democratic voice in the Senate, a leading advocate for sexual assault victims, but also a bit of a political mystery, owing to her more conservative-leaning past.