NEW YORK, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton officially launched on Wednesday her bid for a second Senate term after her follow Democrats unanimously selected her for the party's officialdesignee for the Senate race at the Democratic state convention.

    After the party threw its support behind her, the state's junior senator addressed a crowd that included her husband, formerpresident Bill Clinton.

    Her speech touched on a host of issues that affect not just NewYorkers but all Americans, including higher education, the environment and energy policy.

    Noting the strength of the Democratic statewide ticket this year, including state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for governor,Clinton said they should get ready for an electoral sweep.

    "When the dust clears in November, New York is going to have a Democratic government from top to bottom, and we're going to show the rest of the country what that means," she said.

    Democrats tapped state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer as its designee for governor earlier on Tuesday.

    Also on Wednesday, the Republican Party kicked off its convention on Long Island. Unlike the democrats, Republicans do not have a clear front runner in the races for governor or U.S. senator and the delegates votes are expected to be close.

    Former Assembly minority leader John Faso and former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld are fighting for the GOP's backing in the governor's race. Former Reagan administration official K.T. McFarland and former Yonkers mayor John Spencer are vying for their party's backing for U.S. Senate to challenge incumbent Democratic Hillary Clinton. Enditem