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Hi there — it’s Kirsten.
There’s a photograph I keep close — my grandmother, Polly Noonan, standing beside my mother, Polly Rutnik. Two women who didn’t wait for permission to lead. Two women who shaped every part of who I am and why I step into the political arena day after day.
At a time when very few women were involved in politics, my grandmother was a force. She worked as a secretary in Albany, but she didn’t stay in the background for long. She organized women across the city who became known, affectionately, as “Polly’s Girls.” They hosted rallies, circulated petitions, knocked doors, stuffed envelopes, and — as she liked to say — did what needed to be done.
My grandmother showed me something revolutionary: that women didn’t have to whisper their opinions from the sidelines. They could lead. They could make noise. They could reshape the world around them.
Here are the two of them — the women who lit the match that started it all.
Growing up, I watched these two women build their lives without apology. They taught me that ambition is not a dirty word. They taught me what it looks like to show up when people need you. And they taught me one of the most important lessons in my life: democracy isn’t a spectator sport — and neither is the fight for equality.
On weekends, while other kids were playing soccer or watching cartoons, I was stuffing envelopes, sorting campaign literature and slapping bumper stickers onto cars. It was my first taste of political participation — my first understanding that I, too, had a responsibility to stand up.
And years later, when I became a member of Congress, ran for the U.S. Senate and then founded Off the Sidelines PAC, I found myself returning to those early lessons that were instilled in me as one of Polly’s Girls. I learned to move from A to B with some detours, to keep showing up even when the cows outnumber your supporters and to lead with ambition and kindness.
Those lessons were a roadmap for moments like this.
Today, far-right extremists are doing everything they can to silence women. They are working to control our bodies, erase our voices, roll back decades of progress and drag our country backward.
And in times like these, I hear Grandma Polly’s voice as clearly as ever: “Get in the game.”
That’s why I founded Off the Sidelines.
That’s why I’m fighting today — as a U.S. Senator and as Chair of the DSCC.
And that’s why I’m asking you to join me.
My grandmother didn’t flinch in the face of obstacles. My mother didn’t either. When they saw something worth fighting for, they stepped forward. They did what needed to be done.
And now, it’s our turn.
If you believe extremists are working overtime to chip away at our rights and our democracy…
If you believe the best defense is electing strong Democratic leaders who won’t back down…
If you believe keeping seats blue is how we stop this country from sliding backward…
I hope you’ll consider supporting Off the Sidelines today.
Your contribution helps us build the bench — supporting and preparing Democratic candidates who are ready to take on extremism and protect our democracy.
Every grassroots contribution helps us train, recruit, and elect the next generation of leaders — women who refuse to back down in the face of extremism.
Thank you for believing in this work, and for standing with me in this fight.
With gratitude and determination,
Kirsten Gillibrand
Founder, Off the Sidelines

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