2020 contender Gillibrand angling for votes in the Bayou City- What's Your Point?

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - This week’s panel:  Wayne Dolcefino – media consultant, Jacquie Baly- conservative commentator, Carmen Roe – Houston Attorney, Ben Streusand – conservative commentator, “Three Amigos”, KSEV Radio, Craig Jackson – Professor, TSU Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Antonio Diaz- writer, educator and radio host talk about the 2020 campaign and candidate Kirsten Gillibrand, who recently visited Houston.

WASHINGTON (AP) - May 1, 2019  Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand has announced a plan to give every voter up to $600 in vouchers to donate to a spate of federal candidates.

But those candidates accepting such contributions would have to forgo contributions larger than $200 per donor.

The New York senator's "Democracy dollars" would provide every eligible voter $100 to donate in primary elections and $100 in general elections to presidential, Senate and House candidates.

Candidates accepting them would have to agree to a $200-per-voter cap on individual contributions. That's a significant drop from the current per-donor limit of $2,800 in primary elections and another $2,800 in general elections.

Outside political groups aren't subject to contribution limits. But Gillibrand and other top Democratic 2020 presidential candidates have vowed not to take donations from such groups.

WASHINGTON (AP) - April 14, 2019 Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand said Sunday that her campaign has raised more than $3 million in the first quarter.

Nearly two-thirds of contributors to Gillibrand's campaign are women, communications director Meredith Kelly said. Advocacy for women and victims of assault and harassment have been early themes of the New York senator's campaign.

Kelly said 92% of donations to Gillibrand's campaign were under $200 and that the average online donation was $25. The campaign now has about $10.2 million cash in hand, Kelly said.

Gillibrand's fundraising tally trailed other Democratic contenders who have voluntarily disclosed their totals. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised more than $18 million; California Sen. Kamala Harris was at $12 million. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has raised $6 million, and New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker has raised $5 million.

Aides to Gillibrand's campaign view her candidacy in two distinct phases. The first "exploratory" phase began in January when Gillibrand revealed that she was considering a presidential run on during an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She then quickly made her first trip to the leadoff caucus state of Iowa and held 60 events across eight states.

The second phase began with the formal launch of her campaign on March 17. Since then, her campaign says she doubled her total number of donors, though the campaign did not disclose the total number of donors or donations to her campaign.

In a memo to supporters obtained by The Associated Press, Gillibrand's campaign also says that she received a fundraising boost from her recent appearance at a CNN town hall. In that memo, Gillibrand's campaign says that of donations to the campaign made within 48 hours of the April 9 town hall, 63% were new contributors.

In the same memo, her campaign said that though they see her on strong financial footing, her decision to call on former Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to step down over allegations of sexual misconduct has adversely impacted her campaign.

In the memo, the campaign said there was "no question that the first quarter was adversely impacted by certain establishment donors - and many online - who continue to punish Kirsten for standing up for her values and for women."

LAS VEGAS (AP) - March 21, 2019  Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand pitched her ideas Thursday to improve the asylum process while touring a law clinic at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas that helps immigrants with legal matters.

The senator from New York kicked off her first presidential campaign trip to Nevada by meeting with immigration law students. The 2020 White House hopeful took notes while the students described the cases they've worked on and the problems they've encountered in the U.S. legal system as they try to help immigrants, including unaccompanied minors.

Gillibrand, who has stressed her role as a mother on the campaign trail, spoke to the students while she picked up and examined several small pieces of canvass with painted handprints of those unaccompanied children whose cases were handled by the clinic.

The Democrat said she's working on legislation that would guarantee asylum seekers a lawyer, create a system for Americans to foster immigrant children and break out immigration judges from under the U.S. Department of Justice so they can be independent.

"We want unbiased judges that are appointed for life so they can do the right thing, not the political thing," she told reporters.

Immigration reform is a prime issue in Nevada, which has a sizeable population of immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission and 13,000 young immigrants seeking protection from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

"I think this is a huge issue for all of America," Gillibrand said. "I think we have a crisis at the border that has been literally manufactured by President Trump, entirely creating a humanitarian crisis of separating families."

She met Thursday afternoon with former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and spoke to voters at a downtown Las Vegas bar Thursday night.