Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) has announced her candidacy to run for Senate today in what would be the first openly gay member of the governmental division if she wins the seat. Baldwin will aim to replace Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) in wake of his retirement upon the completion of his term next year, Forbes magazine reports.
Baldwin currently serves as the only out lesbian in Congress, and has served in her role since 1999.
“I can’t wait to take my fight to the Senate: a fight to grow our economy, protect seniors, force Wall Street to clean up its act, and bring our troops home from Afghanistan,” Baldwin said in a statement.
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund hadd pursued Baldwin to post for the role of U.S. Senator after she made history for the LGBT community in 1998 as she became the first openly-gay person to be elected as a non-incumbent to Congress.
“I know that, in this campaign, we’ll be up against some powerful special interests,” she said in her announcement. “But I’ve beaten the odds before. All my life, the naysayers have told me that I can’t win because I’m a progressive…because I’m a woman…even because I’m a lesbian. And I’ve proven them wrong because I’ve had rock-solid supporters like you standing with me.”
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), announced Tuesday – the same day Baldwin had announced her official run for U.S. Senate – that he would support Baldwin through an official endorsement in her bid.
“Tammy Baldwin’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate is monumental for both the state of Wisconsin and the country’s LGBT community,” Solmonese said. “Tammy has proven herself as an effective legislator over the course of her 13 years in Congress and this campaign will be a top priority for the Human Rights Campaign.”
“From day one, I have always been open about my sexual orientation,” Baldwin told Forbes magazine. “I think that integrity is something that is important to voters.”
