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Congresswoman Aims to Be First Openly Gay Senator

Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin announces 2012 candidacy

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 6, 2011 1:15 PM CDT

(Newser) – Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a self-described Wisconsin progressive, hopes to make a little history next year: She is running for Senate, and a victory would make her the first openly gay senator, notes the Huffington Post. Baldwin will likely be the most formidable Democrat in the race, writes Amanda Terkel, who notes that one potential GOP opponent—former Rep. Mark Neumann—once said, "If I was elected God for a day, homosexuality wouldn't be permitted, but nobody’s electing me God."

Baldwin is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Herb Kohl. "All my life, the naysayers have told me that I can't win because I'm a progressive ... because I'm a woman ... even because I'm a lesbian," says Baldwin. "And I've proven them wrong." Click for more on Baldwin's background.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in a 2008 file photo.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in a 2008 file photo.   (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
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Rep. Tammy Baldwin's video.   (YouTube)

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 35 comments
SeaMonkey
Sep 7, 2011 9:34 AM CDT
If sexual orientation doesn't matter, what's the big deal?
WallyEFunk
Sep 6, 2011 10:43 PM CDT
Do we hear now or later that she only won or would win because she is a women or gay from the mentally challenged here.
Matt2h
Sep 6, 2011 9:10 PM CDT
Wait, I thought Tammy Baldwin was the feisty redheaded libertarian. A nerd in the audience on C-Span told her she was hot. 
 

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