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Gillibrand ran a good race, Schumer says

From left, St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Centers Director of Veterans Services Sam Hall shows U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer around the Col. C. David Merkel, MD, Veterans Residence Thursday in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Kevin Shea)

SCHUYLER FALLS — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ran a good race, her counterpart, Sen. Charles Schumer said Thursday.

“She moved issues, particularly on women’s rights that she cares a lot about, so I don’t think the race was for naught.”

Good team

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., speaks May 7, 2018, at the Adirondack North Country Association office in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Peter Crowley)

Gillibrand announced in a video posted to Twitter Wednesday evening that, after eight months, she was ending her presidential campaign.

“I’m glad that we’ll continue to work together as colleagues,” Schumer said.

“We are a good team and we work hard for New York, including New York agriculture.”

Schumer said he is not supporting anyone in particular who might end up running against President Donald Trump.

“But I think that Donald Trump promised a whole lot of things and very few of them have been delivered.”

Issues

Schumer listed a few important issues voters should keep in mind going into 2020, starting with health care.

“People really need good health care and one of the reasons I don’t particularly appreciate the Trump administration, they’re in court now to get rid of health care for millions of Americans and they’re there preventing people from having protection if you have a pre-existing condition.

“A second issue is just good-paying jobs,” he continued.

“We have that here in the North Country.”

Earlier Thursday, Schumer met with the head of Bombardier Inc., one of the largest private employers in Plattsburgh.

“I would also say that we have to make sure that average middle class people be given a fair shake.

“Too much is going to the wealthy and the most powerful in our society and not enough to the average folks.”

Citizenship

Schumer also commented on other topics, such as Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson’s recent decision to step down at the end of this year and a policy set to take effect this year that would make it more difficult for children born of citizens outside the United States to automatically become U.S. citizens.

“I don’t think they’ll be able to change that,” he said of the latter.

“They’re going to try but we’ve had that for hundreds of years.

“If you’re born of U.S. citizens, and you happen to be born overseas, you’re still a U.S. citizen. Even on a vacation.”

Schumer remarked that Isakson is a fine, kind man.

“He was a Republican, I was a Democrat, but we worked together on a whole lot of issues, including agricultural issues, together.

“I am sorry he is leaving.”

Isakson has struggled with Parkinson’s disease.

“It never stopped him from working hard, but he had trouble walking and all of that,” Schumer said.

On whether Georgia could now be flipped Democrat, the Senator said he thinks “many states that never were vulnerable are vulnerable now and Georgia is probably one of them.”

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