m******1 发帖数: 19713 | 1 By Andrew Harmon
Tammy Baldwin (Campaign Video Screengrab) x390 | Advocate.com
As widely expected, seven-term congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has entered the
race for retiring Wisconsin senator Herb Kohl’s seat in 2012. If elected,
she would become the first openly gay U.S. senator in American history.
Baldwin’s announcement was made early this morning via emails to supporters
as well as a video message in which she highlights her progressive record
and political journey, including a newspaper headline from her 1998 campaign
that reads “Baldwin’s Election Opens Doors for Gays” (see video below).
But she also focused on protecting seniors and the middle class as well as
her long opposition to financial deregulation and the war in Iraq.
The decision to run comes after a summer of impressive fund-raising numbers
from the House’s only openly gay female representative. “She’s in a great
place right now for the market that she’s in," Denis Dison, vice president
of communications for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, said last month. "
That said, it’s an open seat. The Republicans are going to be going after
it with guns blazing. Baldwin is going to be looking under every cushion for
spare change, and the LGBT community is going to be an important part of
her fund-raising plan.”
One Republican challenger to already announce his bid for Kohl’s seat is
former Republican congressman Mark Neumann, who has made multiple antigay
comments in the past and has a long history of voting against LGBT rights.
"I believe our opponent is Tammy Baldwin and I believe it is essential that
we bring Tammy Baldwin's record to the forefront," Neumann said on a
conservative radio show in August.
Rep. Ron Kind, a Democrat who represents Wisconsin’s third congressional
district, is also considering running for the Senate seat. |
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