Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is "running a perfect presidential campaign," one political consultant tells Politico. The New York Democrat backed—through endorsements and donations—seven women running for office in Texas and saw all seven of them move on during the state's primaries Tuesday. Lillian Salerno, MJ Hegar, Gina Ortiz Jones, Laura Moser, and Elizabeth Fletcher will all move on to runoff elections in May having finished first or second in their contests. Meanwhile, Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia appear set to become Texas' first Latina representatives in Congress after winning their primaries outright in majority-Democratic districts. The Gillibrand-backed Garcia easily beat opponent Tahir Javed, who was backed by Sen. Chuck Schumer, with 63% of the vote.
Tuesday's wins in Texas help Gillibrand extend her influence beyond New York and boost her national profile. Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf says that could pay off for her in 2020. "When you want to run for president, you need lots of friends,” he says. “You don’t need them in your home state, you need them in other states." Gillibrand's Off The Sidelines PAC has backed more than 50 female candidates nationwide. Read the full story here. (More Kirsten Gillibrand stories.)
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