Congresswoman Aims to Be First Openly Gay Senator

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. (More senator stories.)