New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was poised to announce $37 million in road safety investments on the Lower East Side in Manhattan on Monday — when a colleague noted that she had lipstick on her teeth.

It was the kind of cosmetic distraction that any woman in politics seeks to avoid, given the ways their appearances are already scrutinized. But a heads up from a staff member, a friend or an ally can keep the focus on the work. On Monday, that discreet nod came from Rep. Dan Goldman, the newest member of New York’s congressional delegation whose 10th District includes the Delancey Street location where the press event was being held.

At the podium, Goldman praised Gillibrand, calling her “one of the most effective legislators you will find in the Senate.”

That full-throated support is what Gillibrand needs as she ramps up her 2024 re-election bid. With 14 years in the U.S. Senate and growing seniority among its ranks, she is making an early case for why she deserves another term after a failed presidential bid in 2020.

“I've gotten almost every bill I've been working on done,” Gillibrand said in an interview with Gothamist, “except for a few that I will be working on.”

While no one has officially announced a primary or general election challenge against the senator, Gillibrand, who officially launched her re-election campaign last month, is not leaving anything to chance. It follows a statewide race for governor in which Republicans narrowly lost but overperformed, and persistent chatter from the left about the political future of the state’s rising stars, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In a wide-ranging conversation in her Midtown office this week, shortly before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, Gillibrand talked about how the pandemic is informing her current legislative priorities. She also downplayed the threats posed by speculative election challengers and offered a hawkish analysis of the national security threats posed by China.

A strategic alignment

Tuesday was a good night for Gillibrand. In his State of the Union address, Biden repeatedly cited one of her signature achievements: securing bipartisan support and funding for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. He used it as an example of what can be achieved through bipartisan collaboration. He also urged lawmakers to pass paid family medical leave, a plank in the care economy she plans to push over the next two years. Other elements include affordable daycare and universal pre-K.

“That care economy is going to be front and center for this next Congress, because they are essential infrastructure, which is what we learned in COVID,” Gillibrand said during the interview.

Despite running against Biden in the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential primary field, Gillibrand stressed her alignment with the president and her support for his expected re-election campaign. “I want him to stand by every bridge, every tunnel, every road that he is getting built because of his bipartisan infrastructure bill,” said Gillibrand.

She also credited Biden with signing some of her most significant legislative accomplishments into law: making gun trafficking a federal crime; criminalizing sexual harassment in the military and making investigations independent from the military command structure; and strengthening protections against sexual harassment or assault in the workplace, giving survivors who would have been forced into arbitration to pursue claims in court.

As she works in the upcoming session, Gillibrand said she also plans to offer a master plan on aging that would address affordable housing, lower prescription drug prices, provide food security and allow seniors to age in place.

Electoral challenges

In her home state, Gillibrand is leaning into her relationships with local media, scoring headlines like “You might have missed it, but Kirsten Gillibrand is at the top of her game” in City & State and “Gillibrand’s big year” in Politico NY. It comes as she works to cultivate early support for her re-election bid despite rumblings about potential opponents. She has $5 million in cash on hand and statewide name recognition. She has other powerful allies supporting her, like Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who was with the senator for her infrastructure announcement on Monday.

“I think Sen. Gillibrand has been doing her work,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez told Gothamist as she was leaving the event, describing Gillibrand as a progressive senator who has successfully fought for women and built productive relationships in the chamber. “She has been doing an incredible job.”

Still, asked how she would feel if someone like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – part of a new generation of Latina leaders – were to mount a primary challenge, Velázquez offered a more measured reply.

“We would have to listen to everyone and see what their vision is for the state,” Velázquez said.

For her part, Gillibrand said she is not overly concerned about potential primary or general election challengers. She said she and Ocasio-Cortez had a “lovely lunch” last week and are working on several issues together. She also noted the new leadership role Ocasio-Cortez is playing as a member of the House Oversight Committee.

“I can’t think of a better adversary for [Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene,” said Gillibrand. “I think AOC will not only hold her own, but get the better of her.”

Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez, did not respond to a request for comment.

Still, Gillibrand said if another Democrat decided to primary her, “or if Lee Zeldin or a Republican tries to general election me,” she said, “I will run on my record.”

Zeldin, a former House member and recent Republican candidate for governor, told reporters as recently as this week that he was not ready to announce any plans about his political future. At a press conference in Albany, he said if he were to run against Gillibrand, “it would be a pretty epic clash.” But he also said she is using the potential threat to generate support from donors.

“If anyone wanted to brainstorm with Sen. Gillibrand why my name keeps getting mentioned so much in running against her, if her desire is for that to stop happening, she should probably stop mentioning my name so much,” said Zeldin.

A trial balloon

As a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees with a background in Asian studies from Dartmouth University, Gillibrand brings an informed perspective to the dynamic national security threats, including the most recent incident with China.

Just days after the U.S. government shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, the president acknowledged China as a competitor in his State of the Union address, and stressed the need to protect U.S. sovereignty by investing in technology and military capabilities for the sake of stability. “Autocracy has grown weaker, not stronger,” Biden said on Tuesday. “Name me a world leader who would change places with Xi Jinping.”

By contrast, Gillibrand offered a more dire assessment of the situation with China and its leader.

“Unfortunately, China has grown to be an adversary over the last decade or two. Xi is a very authoritarian ruler and he is bent on a world war, and the investments he has made over the past 15 years have been designed solely to defeat America in a world war,” Gillibrand said in her interview with Gothamist.

Gillibrand said she believed the spy balloon was sent intentionally to see how the U.S. would react and that the nation’s priority should be to cultivate military and economic allies.

“Our goal would be to avoid a world war, and to communicate to China in some positive way that, ‘not only will this not go well for you, but there are other ways you can lead your country for more prosperity,’ and that prosperity should be chosen over death, destruction and war,” said Gillibrand. “War never helps anyone.”

Gillibrand’s comments are stark when compared to public statements made by other members of the Armed Services Committee, particularly other Democrats. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal called China’s excuse for sending the balloon a “lot of hot air.” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine called it “ill-timed, inexcusable and incompetent.”

While the House unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday condemning China for the spy balloon incident, experts say Gillibrand’s rhetoric could be dangerous.

“We're not at war with China, and we shouldn't be at war with China and it's very dangerous for politicians to sort of suggest that that's the direction that it's going,” said Carolyn Kissane, who is associate dean of NYU's Center for Global Affairs, a senior fellow at the Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

She said comments with this “adversarial framing” don’t do either side any good and may be more of a reflection of how Gillibrand is reading the American public’s reaction to the growing economic and security concerns from China. “It is political rhetoric,” Kissane said.

In a follow-up conversation on Thursday, Gillibrand said her comments were not intended to be “saber-rattling,” but rather about making sure policy experts remain clear-eyed about the real threats to global stability given the country’s growing military investments and what that means for peace in the Pacific region, with a focus on Taiwan.

“It wasn’t a weather balloon,” said Gillibrand, adding “Our long-term goal is to preserve peace and avoid conflict.”