Democrat Army vet Will Schweitzer running to replace ‘out of touch’ Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Army veteran William Schweitzer has announced a bid to topple US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2024 Democratic primary.
In remarks to The Post, Schweitzer, 35, said “Gillibrand’s record is underwhelming for a senator from New York.”
A Rochester native who now lives in Battery Park City in downtown Manhattan, Schweitzer served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, where he completed multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, “witnessing firsthand the challenges faced by our nation’s foreign policy.”
“I am a ranger. As a ranger, you are the tip of the spear in every way. There’s high standards and high expectations. People rely on you,” Schweitzer said.
He also worked for New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Rochester district office, and was deputy press secretary for ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2018 re-election campaign.
Former Gov. David Paterson first appointed Gillibrand — then an upstate congresswoman — to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton in 2009 when President Barack Obama appointed her Secretary of State.
Running for a third full term, Gillibrand has never faced a serious primary, cruising to re-election against Republican opponents in the heavily Democratic state.
But Schweitzer, a father of two young boys, charges she’s been missing in action, citing conversations he’s had traveling across the state.
“She’s out of touch. It’s necessary for someone to step up and hand her a primary. It’s long overdue. The position was given to her by Gov. Paterson,” he said.
The vet founded his own tech firm, Schweitzer Laboratories, creating a platform to combat political corruption and foreign influence in elections, and has worked with NASA, IBM, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Mastercard, the payments platform Stripe, Amazon Web Services, LexisNexis, and other companies.
“While Will is proud of the specific goals accomplished via his company, his experience running a high-tech startup during the COVID-19 pandemic gave him deep understanding of the challenges small businesses are facing today,” a campaign statement said.
He said he supports laws to end gun violence, public funding of political campaigns, protecting abortion rights, incentives to urge more Americans join the military — and would work to eliminate the $10,000 federal cap on state and local tax deductions.
“New York deserves strong leadership that knows and prioritizes the needs of its families, restores trust in our democratic institutions, and positions our state as a global hub of innovation and opportunity,” he stated. “I am committed to being that leader and fighting for the betterment of all New Yorkers.”
Gillibrand spokesman Evan Lukaske, responding to the Schweitzer challenge, said, “From making gun trafficking a federal crime to securing health benefits for 9/11 survivors and veterans to bringing home hundreds of millions of dollars for projects that will boost the economy and create jobs, Senator Gillibrand has consistently delivered real results for New York families.”
She would be the clear favorite to win re-election, with backing from the state Democratic Party establishment. Other big names — including progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — opted not to challenge her. And Manhattan Democratic leader Keith Wright and Hazel Dukes, the longtime state chairwoman of the NAACP, have said they’re backing Gillibrand.
On her campaign website, Gillibrand points to her push for the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy for gays in the military, co-authored the STOCK Act to ban insider trading by members of Congress, and helped pass the 9/11 health bill for first responders.
She said she continues to push for a national paid family leave plan, military justice reform to crack down on sexual abuse and helping elect other women to office.
