Tammy Baldwin facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Tammy Baldwin
Baldwin in 2023

Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2017
Leader	Chuck Schumer
Preceded by	Patty Murray
United States Senator from Wisconsin
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013 Serving with Ron Johnson
Preceded by	Herb Kohl
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Scott Klug
Succeeded by	Mark Pocan
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 78th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	David Clarenbach
Succeeded by	Mark Pocan
Member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors from the 8th district
In office April 15, 1986 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Lynn Haanen
Succeeded by	Scott McCormick

Personal details
Born	Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (1962-02-11) February 11, 1962 (age 63) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Domestic partners	Lauren Azar (1998–2010) Maria Brisbane (2024–present)
Relatives	David E. Green (grandfather) Rowena Green Matthews (aunt)
Education	Smith College (BA) University of Wisconsin, Madison (JD)
Signature
Website

Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician. Since 2013, she has served as a United States senator for the state of Wisconsin. As a member of the Democratic Party, she helps lead her party in the Senate.

Baldwin earned degrees from Smith College and the University of Wisconsin Law School. After working as a lawyer, she entered politics. She was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1993 to 1999. Then, she served in the United States House of Representatives for Wisconsin from 1999 to 2013.

In 2012, Baldwin was elected to the U.S. Senate. She was reelected in 2018 and 2024. Baldwin has made history several times. She was the first woman from Wisconsin elected to the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. She was also the first openly gay person elected to both the House and the Senate. She is known for her progressive views on issues like healthcare and equal rights.

Early Life and Education
Political Career
- Wisconsin Assembly (1993–1999)
- U.S. House of Representatives (1999–2013)
U.S. Senate (2013–Present)
- Major Elections
  - 2012 Election
  - 2018 and 2024 Elections
- Work in the Senate
What Tammy Baldwin Believes
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Tammy Baldwin was born and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. When she was born, her mother was very young. Baldwin was raised by her grandparents. She would spend Saturdays with her mother.

Her grandfather, David E. Green, was a biochemist, and her grandmother was from England. Through her grandfather, Baldwin is a third cousin of the comedian Andy Samberg.

Baldwin was the valedictorian (the student with the highest grades) of her class when she graduated from Madison West High School in 1980. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1984. In 1989, she received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Before becoming a state politician, Baldwin was elected to the Dane County Board of Supervisors at age 24. She served on the board from 1986 to 1994. She also worked as a private lawyer.

Political Career

Wisconsin Assembly (1993–1999)

In 1992, Baldwin was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, which is part of the state's government. She won the Democratic primary election with 43% of the vote. In the main election, she defeated two other candidates to win the seat.

Baldwin was one of only six openly gay political candidates in the entire country to win an election that year. She was reelected to the Assembly two more times, in 1994 and 1996, with strong support from voters.

U.S. House of Representatives (1999–2013)

Baldwin leading a session in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.

In 1998, Baldwin decided to run for the U.S. Congress. She won the Democratic primary and then defeated her Republican opponent in the general election. This victory made her the first woman ever elected to Congress from Wisconsin. She was also the first openly gay woman elected to Congress.

After she was elected, she helped start the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus in 2008. This group works to support the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

Baldwin was reelected to the House of Representatives six more times. She served a total of seven terms, representing her district in Wisconsin until 2013.

U.S. Senate (2013–Present)

Baldwin speaking at a campaign event in 2012.

Major Elections

2012 Election

In 2011, Baldwin announced she would run for the U.S. Senate. Her opponent was former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson. During the campaign, Baldwin and Thompson held three debates to discuss their views. Baldwin raised more money for her campaign than Thompson did.

On November 6, 2012, Baldwin won the election with over 51% of the vote. She became the first openly gay person ever elected to the U.S. Senate. After her historic win, Time magazine featured her as a new leader to watch in the Senate.

2018 and 2024 Elections

Baldwin ran for reelection in 2018 and won her second term with 55.4% of the vote. In 2023, she announced she would run for a third term. She won the 2024 election in a very close race against Republican Eric Hovde.

Work in the Senate

Baldwin questions a government official during a Senate committee meeting in 2017.

As a senator, Baldwin serves on several important committees. These groups are responsible for creating and reviewing laws on different topics. Her committees include:

Committee on Appropriations: This powerful committee decides how the U.S. government spends its money.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: This committee handles issues related to business, science, and how people and goods travel.
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: This committee works on laws about healthcare, schools, jobs, and retirement.

What Tammy Baldwin Believes

Baldwin meets with a family to talk about the child tax credit, a program that helps families with children.

Baldwin calls herself a progressive, which means she supports new ideas to improve society. She often works with members of other political parties, and in 2023 she was ranked as one of the more bipartisan (willing to work with others) senators.

Healthcare

Baldwin speaks about making sure military veterans have access to the healthcare they need in 2023.

Baldwin is a strong supporter of making healthcare available to all Americans. She voted for the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) in 2010. She is credited with writing the part of the law that lets young adults stay on their parents' health insurance until they turn 26.

She has also worked to lower the cost of prescription drugs. In 2022, she voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which helped lower the price of insulin for seniors.

Economic Issues

In 2024, Baldwin supported rules to encourage building more ships in the United States.

Baldwin supports policies that she believes will help working families. She has pushed for "Buy America" rules, which require the government to use American-made products for projects. She believes this helps create jobs in the U.S.

In 2024, she helped stop a trade deal that she worried would harm American workers by sending jobs to other countries.

Foreign Policy

Baldwin was a critic of the Iraq War. In 2002, she voted against giving the government permission to invade Iraq. She worried about the cost and the challenges of rebuilding the country afterward. In 2023, she voted to officially repeal the government's authority to use military force in Iraq.

She supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which would create an independent state for Palestinians alongside Israel.

Equal Rights

Baldwin at the White House in 2022 for the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.

Throughout her career, Baldwin has been a champion for equal rights. In 1994, while in the Wisconsin Assembly, she proposed legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.

In 2022, she played a key role in passing the Respect for Marriage Act. This federal law protects marriage rights for same-sex and interracial couples across the United States.

Personal Life

Baldwin was in a long-term relationship with Lauren Azar for 15 years. They separated in 2010.

In 2020, for the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, the website Queerty named Baldwin one of 50 heroes who are "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people."