Gillibrand Hits 62 NY Counties; Leads Ford in Poll

Freshman New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was scheduled to finish up her tour of all of New York's 62 counties on Friday as a new poll shows her leading a potential Democratic primary opponent.
    
Gillibrand planned to visit Sullivan, Chenango, Tioga and Washington counties, capping a tour of the state that began after she was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last January. She was scheduled to talk about economic development on her stops.
    
Gillibrand took a page from the playbook of New York's senior U.S. Senator, her fellow Democrat and mentor Charles Schumer, who visits all 62 New York counties each year.
    
Gillibrand is seeking election to the seat this fall.
    
A new poll of registered Democrats in New York state showed Gillibrand with a double-digit lead over a potential challenger, Harold Ford Jr.
    
The Marist College survey released Friday found that 43 percent of respondents said they would back Gillibrand in the primary, while 24 would support Ford.
    
Ford is a former U.S. congressman from Tennessee who lives in New York City now and is mulling a primary challenge against Gillibrand.
    
The poll does find that a large number of voters -- 33 percent -- are undecided.
    
Marist polled 370 registered Democrats on Wednesday and Thursday. The poll has a plus or minus 5 percentage point margin of error.