NEW : Clinton calls Kirsten Gillibrand ` ` an intelligent and dedicated public servant '' ` ` I think I have been the best candidate , '' governor says . Gillibrand , who will become the first upstate senator to represent New York since the late 1960s , is a stranger to most New Yorkers and a fresh face on Capitol Hill . ` ` I aspire to follow in her footsteps , '' Governor Gillibrand says of Clinton . Clinton defeated longtime Republican congressman in 2006 .
NEW : Clinton calls Kirsten Gillibrand ` ` an intelligent and dedicated public servant '' ` ` I think I have been the best candidate , '' governor says . ` ` I aspire to follow in her footsteps , '' Governor Gillibrand says of Clinton . Clinton defeated longtime Republican congressman in 2006 .