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Kirsten Gillibrand burst onto the political scene in 2006. A former Manhattan Attorney, she was unknown to voters when she launched a long-shot bid for Congress against nationally-known Republican incumbent Jon Sweeney in heavily Republican territory.

But with some big name support, including former President Bill Clinton, a cross-country wave against the Republican party and a timely, leaked police report indicating a domestic incident at Sweeney's home, Gillibrand pulled off an upset.

Once in Congress, Gillibrand established herself as a moderate. Caucusing with the so-called "Blue Dog Democrats," she demonstrated fiscal conservatism in a controversial vote against the Wall Street bailout.

"Seven hundred billion dollars is too much money for an approach that may well fail, that doesn't protect the tax payers," she said at the time.

A member of the House Armed Services Committee, Gillibrand advocated for pay raises for troops and increased benefits to veterans, while also calling for a quick end to the war in Iraq after visiting the war-torn country in 2007.

"We need to create a notice period for the Iraqis to tell them that we will be leaving in a certain amount of time, to put that pressure on them to stand up, control their streets, control their borders and make sure they have security," she said.

Back home, Gillibrand worked hard to stay in touch with her constituents, holding town hall forums she called "Congress at your Corner," which allowed locals to voice concerns on local issues like property taxes.

She also established herself as one of the Congress' most prolific fundraisers, bringing in roughly $5 million for her 2008 re-election campaign.

Squaring off against former Republican State Party Chairman and multimillionaire Sandy Treadwell, Gillibrand ran the most expensive House race in the country, and asked voters to judge her by her record.

"I think I'll be assessed on how well I've done. You know have I done things that I said I'd do," she said. "So far, I think I have and my office has worked very hard to meet the needs of our constituents."

In November, the once little-known Democrat with no history of public service again defeated her Republican rival in a landslide. It was another sign of a meteoric rise that may now take her even higher.