Thu. December 27, 2012
Washington, D.C. -
The election of Wisconsin Senator-elect Tammy Baldwin has been named a top Democratic moment of 2012 by MSNBC.
On November 6, Baldwin became the first openly gay senator to be elected in U.S. history.
"I'm very aware that I will have the honor to be the first woman senator from Wisconsin," Baldwin said in her acceptance speech. "And I'm well aware that I will be the first openly gay member of the United States Senate."
"I didn't run to make history," she added. "I ran to make a difference – a difference in the lives of families struggling to find work and pay the bills, a difference in the lives of students worried about debt and seniors worried about their retirement security, a difference in the lives of veterans who fought for us and need someone fighting for them and their families when they return home from war, a difference in the lives of entrepreneurs trying to build a business and working people trying to build some economic security."
The 50-year-old Baldwin replaces retiring Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl. She first ran for Congress in 1998 after serving 8 years in the Wisconsin Assembly.
Despite the historical significance of the race, Baldwin did not emphasize her sexual orientation during the campaign.
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