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.