http://core.talkingpointsmemo.com/pt/charts/contest/wi-senator-12?f=%7B%22r%22%3A%5B0%2C1%5D%2C%22new%22%3A1%2C%22with_candidates%22%3A%5B%224e8b71050a30d83b5587b7e2%22%2C%224e8b71050a30d83b5587c057%22%5D%2C%22methodology%22%3A%5B%22Internet%22%5D%2C%22population%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22pollsters%22%3A%5B%5D%2C%22candidates%22%3A%5B%5D%7D
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin has opened up a double digit lead over former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson in their race to fill Wisconsin’s open U.S. Senate seat. Baldwin, who debated Thompson on Friday, and actually expressed her positions in full sentences, as opposed to Thompson’s inability to intelligently discuss issues like same-sex marriage, is now leading her opponent by almost ten points on average, and opened up an 11.4 point lead in the last poll, according to PollTracker, which was taken September 20-23, before Friday’s debate.
Baldwin, who is one of four openly-gay current members of the U.S. House of Representatives, would become the first openly-gay member of the Senate should she win next month.
WATCH:Â Tammy Baldwin And Tommy Thompson Debate Same-Sex Marriage (Exclusive Video)
But Thompson has been dogged by his relationship to the healthcare industry, especially after he served as President George W. Bush’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“Thompson’s corporate involvements have become an issue in the race, with Democrats accusing him of using his post as health secretary under President George W. Bush to profit in the private sector,” The Huffington Post reported today:
Since leaving the cabinet, Thompson has worked as a lawyer and as a lobbyist with firm in Washington, D.C. He has also been involved with a variety of corporate boards, primarily in the health care industry. Thompson has served as a board chairman, director or advisory board chairman for more than 20 companies, according toBloomberg BusinessWeek.
TherapeuticsMD is a drug manufacturer focused on women’s health, including pregnancy and menopause drugs, along with dietary supplements.
The Huffington Post added:
Thompson will be receiving stock options for a previously uncompensated corporate board position.
Thompson — who has come under fire from Democrats for accepting a series of health-related corporate posts since stepping down as U.S. health and human services secretary in 2005 — will receive 75,000 shares in TherapeuticsMD, a Florida-based health care company he became board chairman of earlier this year, according to theMilwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
In May, a Thompson spokesman told The Huffington Post that the job was uncompensated and that Thompson would step down from the post and other corporate board seats if elected to the Senate.
During Friday’s debate. Thompson defended himself, claiming, “I am a private sector.”
Congresswoman Baldwin is on Facebook and Twitter.
If you’d like to help, visit Tammy Baldwin’s campaign site or donation page.
Â
Related:
DNC 2012 — Watch: Tammy Baldwin, First Openly Gay US Senate Candidate
Nancy Sinatra Announces Support For Lesbian US Senate Candidate Tammy Baldwin
Tammy Baldwin, First Openly Gay US Senate Candidate, Needs Your Help Now