Governor David Paterson's pick of Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is one of the most moronic decisions I have ever seen any politican make. This will almost certainly cost Democrats her House seat and could well cost them the Senate seat as well. She has zero name recognition statewide and I would not be surprised if she trails Peter King in polls because of this. This is probably the worst decision anyone has made since John McCain picked Sarah Palin.
New York state is not a state where a pro-gun, anti-gay rights, mostly pro-life Democrat wins a Democratic primary. If she were to lose the primary, her political career would be absolutely shattered. She will not be able to go back to her House seat if she loses this primary. Same goes for the general election. If 2010 is a bad year for Democrats(which I am expecting it will be), she could well lose to a Republican do to antipathy from downstate Democrats.
The worst part of this is the fact that this pick pretty much hands Republicans a free House district on a silver platter. Does it make any sense to trade a House seat for a Senate seat that we already have? Republicans winning this district will give Republicans a talking point that voters are rejecting Obama's agenda and the tide is turning against Democrats. It will also give Republicans a boost in fundraising and recruiting. It would be far easier for Gillibrand to stay in her House district that fits her well then taking a chancy run statewide that would wreck her career if something went wrong. This is a lose-lose situation and Paterson is truly a moron if he goes through with this.