[imgbelt img= Gillibrand.jpg]Yes, the new senator from New York State comes from a rural congressional district. According to the U.S. Census, Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, who hails from Hudson, New York, represents a district that is 55% rural by population and 97.8% rural in terms of land. It is the second most rural district in New York, at least in terms of population. She is also on the Ag Committee of the House.Every account of Gillibrand’s appointment says that her district is “largely rural, stretching from the outskirts of Poughkeepsie through the Catskills, skirting Albany, and continuing northward to Lake Placid in the Adirondacks.” She beat a Republican in 2006 in a race where her opponent “tried to paint her as an urban liberal, a potentially lethal label in their rural upstate district,” according to Newsday.  “She had to shake the perception that she was a city liberal,” said David Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Her voting record has indicated that she is different from a Charlie Rangel or a Carolyn Maloney or even a Nita Lowey.” How different? Well, she does have an A rating from the National Rifle Association. She’s a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats. And Friday she got a vote of approval from the Farm Bureau. The FB said: “The choice of Kirsten Gillibrand for U.S. Senate is an excellent one for the farmers of New York. Rep. Gillibrand has quickly established herself as a leading advocate for agriculture in Washington. She has served on the House Agriculture Committee since taking office and has done an outstanding job in her role there.”