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Is Senator Tammy Baldwin In The Future?

05/13/11-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Pam’s House Blend is reporting that sources close to Representative Tammy Baldwin are saying that the openly lesbian Representative may be about to try and break down a barrier and take over the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Herbert Kohl. The 76- year old Kohl is bowing out due largely to age. This brings the total of five Democrats who have announced their retirements, but as Kohl pointed out, the recent plague of problems for the Republicans could result in Democrats holding the seat. The big problem will be the recent push in Wisconsin to disenfranchise the elderly, minorities, the poor, students and military personnel when it comes to voting.

Yes, you read that right, the Republicans are trying to keep Wisconsin’s military personnel from voting in next year’s election. Kohl is retiring, yes, after the GOP defeated Russ Feingold and took the governor’s office and both chambers in the Legislature, but that may not help given the animosity that is currently seething in Wisconsin towards the GOP. Indeed, the GOP may have fallen far short of their bid to unseat three Democratic state senators as people are coming forward to say that the GOP tricked them into signing recall petitions, and even engaged in fraudulent signature gathering.

Dave Weigel of Slate does note several other possibilities when it comes to the 2012 race.

Rep. Ron Kind (a charming wonk who survived a tough race in 2010), and Tom Barrett (the mayor of Milwaukee who lost to Scott Walker in 2010). Among the replacements on the GOP side: Former congressman Mark Neumann (who lost the 2010 primary to Walker) and Attorney General JB Van Hollen. The celebrity potential candidates on either side are Russ Feingold and Paul Ryan.

While Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois is, now, the first largely known gay member of the Senate (we all know, he just won’t come out), Representative Baldwin could become the first openly lesbian or gay Senator to grace the Congress.