Liberal Wisconsinites are waiting with bated breath for an announcement from Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin’s office. Will Ms. Baldwin run for Senate? If elected, Baldwin, a quintessential Madison liberal, who has represented her district in Congress since 1998, would be the first openly lesbian Senator in US history. In an interview with WISN on July 18th, she said “Diving into a US Senate race is a major decision, and I have to tell you, I take big decisions very seriously… I am certainly getting a lot of encouragement, and I am very likely to jump in.”
Baldwin has broken barriers before. She is the first woman from WI to serve in the House, and the first openly gay person to be elected to Congress. She has developed an excellent reputation in Wisconsin and Washington as kind and level-headed. Her personality defies the “ice queen” or “dragon lady” stereotype male politicians too often paint of women candidates. Instead, she’s nice, and according to the National Journal, an insider Washington publication, Baldwin is the House’s most progressive member. She would replace retiring Democratic Senator Herb Kohl who has held the seat for 23 years.
One factor contributing to her decision is of course finances; Baldwin is doing very well in this regard. According to Gay Politics, “she raised more than a half million dollars in the second quarter of this year from 2,339 individual supporters. Baldwin now has more than $1.1 million in her Congressional campaign account.” Consider this along the Dallas Voices’ report that she only needed $1.2 million to win re-election to her seventh term in the House last year. She would of course need a great deal more than this, however, to run a state-wide campaign in Wisconsin.
Robin Brand of the Gay and Lesbian Victory has reported a “tremendous response” from donors and supporters already. HRC has established a fundraising portal for her campaign on its website. EMILY’s list, a group that works to elect women who support women’s abortion rights is another strong supporter, having raised almost a quarter of her campaign funds in her congressional run of 1998.
If she decides to run, Baldwin would have to give up her seat in the House because, according to Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, a person can only be on the ballot once for a partisan office. Both seats, her House seat and the potential Senate seat, are up for re-election on the same day, Nov. 6, 2012. The question is, would a seat in the Senate be worth giving up a seat in the House? And why run for Senate at all, considering all her accomplishments as a seven-term Congresswoman?
The most notable potential contender for the senate seat is Baldwin’s close friend and former Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), another liberal icon of the Democratic Party. Feingold is tight-lipped about running, even though a straw poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP) indicated that 70% of voters would support him against seven other possible Democratic contenders. Only 12% would vote for Baldwin. His silence on the issue may be due to the fact that he lost re-election to the Senate in 2010 due to a Republican high tide; and that he may consider running for state governor instead. Wisconsin is facing a governor’s recall election in November 2012. When Feingold was removed from the straw poll, PPP found that Baldwin’s numbers of supporters rose to 30% making her the leader of the field. Feingold will make an announcement by Labor Day. Baldwin, who is not speaking to the press about a senate race, may make an announcement any day.
Baldwin is probably the strongest supporter of LGBTQ issues in Congress. She fights with skill and passion for equal rights in the areas of employment, hate crimes, bullying, healthcare, and domestic partner benefits. Along with locals Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Mike Honda (D-CA), the LGBTQ Caucus is currently fighting for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Baldwin strongly supported the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act. She is also lead sponsor of the “Ending LGBT Health Disparities Act”, which is the first comprehensive approach to fighting inequality in all areas of the health care system. She takes a firm stand against DOMA.
Baldwin’s platform focuses on healthcare for all, followed closely by equal rights, justice and equal protection for all. When asked about her greatest goal, she said “I went to Congress because I want to ensure affordable, accessible health care coverage for all in this country. That remains my goal for the foreseeable future.” Baldwin supports President Obama’s health care reform, and she advocates for the choice of a public option for all Americans. She also supports Obama’s executive order removing barriers to responsible stem cell research.
Baldwin currently serves, in excellent local company with Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), on the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which was established in 1991 by Ron Dellums (D-CA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), among others. She also formed the first Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, whose mission it is to achieve the extension of equal rights, the repeal of discriminatory laws, the elimination of hate-motivated violence, and the improved health and well being for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. The bipartisan Caucus now boasts 82 members. Baldwin also authored the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act which gives domestic partners of federal employees the same benefits and obligations as those of spouses in traditional marriages.
In 2008, Baldwin pledged as a super-delegate to Hillary Clinton in her presidential race, and in 2002, Baldwin was among the 133 members of the House who voted against the invasion of Iraq.
You can contribute to her Congressional campaign, and hopefully, to her Senate campaign via the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, HRC and EMILY’s List.
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