Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, a lesbian, just announced her candidacy to run for the Senate seat currently held by Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl, who is retiring. Baldwin is rated the most-progressive in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Baldwin earned graduated from Smith College in 1984 and earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1989. She has been in politics since 1986 and is 49-years old.
Via Wikipedia:
On August 1, 2007, Tammy Baldwin signed on to co-sponsor H. Res. 333, a bill proposing articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney and H Res. 589, a bill proposing the impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
For the 2008 presidential election, she pledged as a superdelegate to Hillary Clinton. On October 10, 2002, Tammy Baldwin was among the 133 members of the House who voted against authorizing the invasion of Iraq.
Baldwin is the first woman elected to Congress from the state of Wisconsin. She was also the first ever openly gay non-incumbent to be elected to the House of Representatives, her election having won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. For fifteen years, her domestic partner was Lauren Azar, until the couple separated in 2010. She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. According to a 2011 survey by the National Journal, Baldwin is the most Progressive member in the House.
The Victory Fund supports Baldwin’s candidacy. They write, “Helping to elect America’s first openly LGBT U.S. senator isn’t going to be easy. Tammy is still the only out lesbian ever to serve in Congress, so you can bet anti-gay extremists will be working overtime to keep her from winning. But every time they attack, we’ll be there to help Tammy fight back, and we need you standing with us too.”
Baldwin’s new Senate campaign website states, “It’s time for leaders who put the middle class first and have the courage to do what’s right. It’s time the people’s voice was heard in Washington. It’s time for bold progressive values in the U.S. Senate.”
Baldwin is on Facebook also.