Baldwin: Wis. Senate Campaign "Will Not Be About Me"

A day after Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin declared her U.S. Senate candidacy, the lesbian lawmaker told reporters on Wednesday, Sept. 7, that her campaign is not about her sexual orientation.

"This campaign next year will not be about me, it will be about the middle class and the threats they are facing," she said during a Victory Fund teleconference.

Baldwin did not directly answer EDGE's question about how she or her campaign would respond to homophobia from within Wisconsin or outside the Badger State. Former Republican Congressman Mark Neumann, who has already declared his candidacy to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, reportedly told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 1997 that he would not hire an openly gay employee because the "gay and lesbian lifestyle is unacceptable."

"I am opposed to discrimination in any form and believe in equal opportunity for all Americans... and equal opportunities for all and I make no apologies for that," said Baldwin.

A Public Policy Polling poll conducted last month indicated that Baldwin remains the frontrunner among Democrats to succeed Kohl. Thirty-seven percent of Democratic respondents said they support Baldwin, compared to 22 percent who back former Congressman Steve Kagen and 15 percent who support Congressman Ron Kind. Former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold announced last month that he would not run for office in 2012.

On the Republican side, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson had an eight-point lead over Neumann in the PPP poll.

Baldwin would become the first openly LGBT member of the U.S. Senate if elected, and advocacy groups almost immediately endorsed her campaign after she officially declared her candidacy in a video she sent to supporters early on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

"We are enormously proud that Tammy has taken this courageous step, and we will be strong supporters of her campaign," said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. "Tammy's record in Congress proves she'll be a fighter in the Senate for expanding fairness and freedom for all Americans and Wisconsin families will have no better advocate in Washington."

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, described Baldwin's candidacy as "monumental" for both "the state of Wisconsin and the country's LGBT community."

"She was the first woman from Wisconsin elected to Congress, with the help of our members, and can expect a groundswell of support from our community as she campaigns to become the first female senator from Wisconsin," said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List. "In office Tammy has consistently stood up for the middle class, supporting small businesses, infrastructure development and alternative energy advancement. We are looking forward to bringing a candidate with Tammy's courage, compassion and leadership to the Senate."

Baldwin has represented Wisconsin's Second Congressional District since 1999, but she is far less known to voters outside of Madison and surrounding areas.

"People tell me again and again how disgusted they are with what's going on in Washington, D.C., and in their own state capital-they just don't think anyone is listening to their immediate concerns," said Baldwin, discussing voters' concerns over the economy, jobs and the impact they have on their families. "We as a community-an LGBT community-can really understand the concerns we feel when our leaders aren't listening. The people of Wisconsin are looking for a voice in Washington and in the U.S. Senate who will be a fighter for them."