Out U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) on Tuesday announced that she will run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.).
In a message to supporters, Baldwin said, “I’m used to facing challenges head on. When I first ran for Congress in 1998, people counted me out. But we worked hard, campaigned across south-central Wisconsin, and we won.”
Baldwin’s potential Republican opponents, along with state and national party members, moved quickly to paint the six-term congresswoman as too far to the left to win the seat held by retiring Sen. Herb Kohl.
“She’s voted for virtually the entire Obama agenda, except when it wasn’t liberal enough,” said Mark Neumann, the only Republican officially in the Senate race.
Baldwin talked past such criticism after announcing her bid in an email and video to supporters early Tuesday. Speaking to reporters later, she said her race will focus on boosting the middle class.
“I am a fighter,” she said. “When you stand up to big and powerful interests, that sometimes leads to the type of labels you’re hearing being offered at this point.”
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