NEW YORK — Democratic US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday has been elected in New York to the seat she was appointed to last year to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton .
The Associated Press called the race for Gillibrand over Republican Joe DioGuardi based on interviews with voters as they left the polls statewide Tuesday.
The special-election victory gives Gillibrand the seat until 2012, which would have been the end of Clinton's term if she hadn't resigned to become U.S. secretary of state.
