Schumer and Gillibrand last January when she was named to replace Hillary Clinton. (Getty)

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand will ultimately will clear the field of any potential primary opponents, the Empire State’s senior senator predicted Thursday.

“I think she’s going to win, and I don’t think she’s going to end up having a primary,” Sen. Charles E. Schumer , D-N.Y., said of Gillibrand, who is seeking her first full term in 2010.  

Schumer said Gillibrand, appointed in January by Gov. David A. Paterson appointed replace now-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, was “a very capable person,” who was “performing well in the Senate and earning “the respect and affection of her colleagues.”