Tammy Baldwin - 2012 U.S. Senate Election

2012 U.S. Senate Election

Baldwin ran as the Democratic nominee against Republican nominee Tommy Thompson, who had formerly been governor and Secretary of Health and Human Services. She announced her candidacy on September 6, 2011, in a video emailed to supporters. She ran unconstested in the primary election, and spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention about tax policy, campaign finance reform, and equality in the United States.

She has been endorsed by Democracy for America, and she has received campaign funding from EMILY's List, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, and LPAC. Baldwin has also been endorsed by the editorial board of The Capital Times, who wrote that "Baldwin's fresh ideas on issues ranging from job creation to health care reform, along with her proven record of working across lines of partisanship and ideology, and her grace under pressure mark her as precisely the right choice to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl."

The candidates had three debates, on September 28, October 18, and October 26. According to Baldwin's Federal Election Commission filings, she raised about $12 million, over $5 million more than her opponent.

On November 6, 2012, Baldwin became the first openly gay candidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Due to a quirk in United States Senate seniority rules, and due to the retirements of a dozen long-serving senators, she will be no worse than 88th in seniority.