Fearing a divisive primary between Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Junior, President Barack Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe, headlined a fundraiser in the city Monday for the upstate Democrat.

The $250 per person event was held in Midtown.

"Senator Gillibrand, we believe, has been a great leader for New York," said Plouffe in an exclusive interview with NY1. "We're tackling these tough issues like rebuilding the economy and energy and health care that are strengthening us for the long term and she's been a real leader. So she is someone the president obviously supports and we'll do all we can to make sure she returns to the Senate."

The senator also stressed her good relationship with the White House.

"We have been working together not only on economic issues like the middle-class tax cut and the tax cut for small businesses and more lending for small businesses across the state, but we are also working on 9/11 health, repealing 'Don't ask, don't tell,'" said Gillibrand. "I work well with the administration and am very grateful for the president's support."

Gillibrand might face former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr. for the Senate seat. Ford said he would make a decision about his candidacy by the end of the month.

Ford has worked to cast himself as an outsider in this possible race, attacking Gillibrand as a pawn for Washington power brokers. He has also highlighted that before Gillibrand took public officer she worked as a private attorney, where she represented a tobacco company.

"Welcome to New York, Mr. Plouffe. The unelected tobacco apologist finally brought something back to New York from Washington," said Ford spokesperson Tammy Sun in a statement this morning. "Unfortunately, it's only a fundraiser for herself. . . It's no surprise that Washington's party bosses are here to defend her. She's their Senator, not ours."

Gillibrand quickly shot back saying, "Harold Ford's attacks on President Obama and his agenda, sound much more like coming from Sarah Palin than from a New York Democrat who's proud of his president."

President Obama recently brought Plouffe back to help lead Democrats through this year's midterm elections -- a task Plouffe said wasn't easy considering double digit unemployment and what some call a letdown since 2008.

"The midterms are going to be tough, we got a tough economy," Plouffe said. "Plus, we won a lot of seats in the past couple of years that we have to defend. But I think what we have to do is go out there and say here's what we stand, here's what we fight for, and the Republicans are playing no role in trying to solve problems."

Plouffe's emerging strategy also touches on campaign reform, pointing to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision giving corporations greater power in campaign spending.