Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, a second-term congresswoman from upstate New York, was Gov. David Paterson’s pick to fill Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate seat a day after Caroline Kennedy abruptly withdrew from contention.

A Paterson aide said Friday that the 42-year-old Hudson Valley Democrat will be named by the governor at an announcement Friday in Albany. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hadn’t been made. Gillibrand was considered one of the top three or four contenders in Paterson’s secretive selection process, where the front-runners were considered to be Kennedy and state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.The governor's office would not confirm or deny the report.

Gillibrand is a moderate Democrat, the 42-year-old mother of two young children who lives in Hudson, N.Y., and is in her second House term.

Most important, perhaps, for Paterson, Gillibrand (pronounced JILL-a-brand) gives him not only a female on his ticket in next year's statewide elections, when she must run to fill the remaining two years of Clinton's term; Gillibrand's also an upstater to balance the dominant downstate power of New Yorkers like himself and Clinton that arouses such traditional resentment in the north.

She's known as a Blue Dog Democrat, not always popular with liberals for her support of the National Rifle Assn. in her significantly rural 20th District, but said to be Clinton's favorite as her replacement.

The report follows by a day the withdrawal of Caroline Kennedy from the competition. Once considered a shoo-in, she ran into difficulties. She says her exit is for personal reasons. But it might also be that she knew she would not get Paterson's political nod. If the report proves true, it leaves New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo, considered the most experienced candidate, out in the cold without the prominence to challenge Paterson so easily.

So, who is Kirsten Gillibrand? According to the “Women on the Web” website, here are “6 things to know about Kirsten Gillibrand:

1.  Gillibrand is much-celebrated among the urbane country weekend folk along the chi chi districts of the Hudson Valley for her defeat of the 4-term Republican John Sweeney in a traditionally conservative district.

2.  She worked up until the day she gave birth to her second son in May, 2008, earning her a standing ovation on the floor of the House. Only 6 women have given birth while serving in the US Congress.

3.  She is a member of the Congressional Blue Dog Democrats, a coalition of moderate and conservative-leaning Dems able to wrest seats away from Republicans in districts long under conservative control.

4.  She was one of the 99 House Democrats to vote against the $700 billion bailout of the banks, also known as the much-maligned TARP, handing a stunning defeat to Nancy Pelosi on the issue. She maintained her no vote on the second bailout bill that ultimately passed, calling it "fundamentally flawed."

5.  She opposes gun control.

6.  She is considered a friend of the family farmer, and a voice against the agribusiness-control of the Committee on Agriculture on which she serves.