Mrs Clinton's likely opponent in the Senate race, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, has appeared on David Letterman's show 14 times.

The latest polls show Mrs Clinton trailing Mr Giuliani by nine points and she faces a bruising fight to try and win the seat.

'Sensational'

She got a warm reception from Mr Letterman who said: "We have to give the woman a tremendous amount of credit just for showing up." He added: "She looks sensational."

She managed to answer all of Mr Letterman's questions in an off-the-cuff New York quiz.

And she proved able to hold her own when the host asked about her new home in a New York suburb. "Every idiot in the universe is going to drive by honking now," he said.

"Was that you?" she replied.

Borrowing Frank Sinatra's line, she concluded: "If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere."

Issues

As well as trading banter, Mrs Clinton tackled some serious issues.

"New York has always attracted people from all over the world. That's what makes it such a great place to live."