Pirro to Challenge Senator Clinton in '06

NYT reported Jeanine F. Pirro, a moderate Republican and high-profile district attorney of Westchester County, said today that she would challenge Hillary Rodham Clinton for her United States Senate seat in 2006.

Good for her. Hillary thought that no one would think about challenging her, and I am happy to see that Jeanine is going to do it.

"I am running against Hillary Clinton because New York state deserves a senator who will give her all to the people of New York for a full term, who will not miss votes to campaign in (presidential) primaries," Ms. Pirro said in a statement. "When Mrs. Clinton first came to us and said she wanted to be a New Yorker, she asked New York to put out a welcome mat and we did," Ms. Pirro added. "But now she wants us to re-elect her even though she won't promise to serve out her term and wants to use us as a springboard to the presidency. She's asking us to become her doormat. I believe we deserve better."

She is right, and as I understand there was a poll that said that 60% of New Yorkers felt their senator should agree to serve the full six year term. Hillary will never promise that, because she hopes to run for President in 2 years, and thinks that with one term as a Senator people will think she is qualified to be President. I think the American people are smarter than that. There are a lot of senators (from both parties) with more than one term of experience in the senate that think they know enough to be President, but JFK was the last senator elected to the Presidency. The American People know that they need someone with experience in the Executive Branch (i.e. a Governor) and not the Legislative Branch, to know how to run the Executive Branch.

Ms. Pirro, who has been openly considering the race since May, informed the New York State party chairman, Stephen J. Minarik, and other top Republicans of her decision last night, a Republican Party official said. Ms. Pirro will formally announce her decision on Wednesday during campaign stops across the state; her advisers had already reserved the park next to the state Capitol in Albany for one leg of the tour Wednesday afternoon.

In three terms as district attorney, Ms. Pirro, 53, has built a national reputation as a hard-charging prosecutor of sex crimes and domestic violence cases and a proponent of Internet stings targeting suspected child molesters. Her tough talk, quick wit, and good looks have made her a frequent commentator on Fox News and cable television shows.

Good. Experience fighting crime should be very persuasive when she opposes Hillary.

A Clinton-Pirro race is one that Mr. Minarik and some other Republicans have sought for months: They believe that a battle-tested Republican woman from the suburbs like the Elmira-born Ms. Pirro, who is also a centrist on some social issues like abortion rights and gay rights, would be best matched against Mrs. Clinton and have the broadest appeal for New York voters.