It is true that U.S. Rep Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., is not up for re-election again for 11 months, but the outcome of that election should not be in doubt considering how well Baldwin has represented her district'especially UW students. In November 2004, both student newspapers endorsed Baldwin for re-election. And both papers, as well as the overwhelming number of students who voted for her, had every reason to support her.
One of the major reasons Baldwin is such a strong supporter of UW-Madison is that college students have comprised a significant portion of her constituencies in every elected position she has held. Back when Baldwin was a student at the UW Law School, she won a campus-area seat on the Dane County Board. Eight years later, she was elected to the Wisconsin state Assembly in a heavily-student-populated district. After three terms as a state representative, Baldwin became the first woman from Wisconsin to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Since then, Baldwin has been re-elected three times'including with 63 percent of the vote in 2004'and has continued to be a great advocate for the issues that affect UW students the most.
Financial aid funding is unquestionably one of the most important issues to many college students. Fortunately for us, we have a U.S. Representative who has made it a priority to fight against cuts to and restrictions for Federal Pell Grants, Stafford Loans and other forms of financial aid. Baldwin has co-sponsored a bill that would double the amount that Pell Grants are worth and provide an additional $300 million in work-study funding to help students earn money while they attend school. Since three UW schools'Whitewater, Baraboo and Madison'all fall within Baldwin's congressional district, we can count on Baldwin to continue championing increased higher-education funding and to fight to keep our tuition down for as long as she's in the U.S. House.
Another issue of special importance to UW-Madison is stem cell research. UW-Madison is known worldwide for its advances in stem cell research, and Baldwin's unwavering support for embryonic stem cell research has been a great boost to the university. Baldwin has worked to lift research restrictions enacted by the Bush Administration, like last May when she voted to help the House pass a bill that would allow federal funds to be used for embryonic stem cell research. Unlike many Republicans across our state, Baldwin has and will continue to promote embryonic stem cell developments here at UW-Madison.
During her seven years in Washington, Baldwin has brought more than $100 million in federal funds back to our area to support everything from transportation systems to economic development to UW programs. Just last month, Baldwin, together with U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., secured $1 million for the revitalization of State Street. In fact, Baldwin has secured nearly $4 million in federal funds for improvements to State Street to date. This is yet another example of Baldwin successfully promoting legislation that greatly benefits us students at UW-Madison.
Hands down, Baldwin is one of the most supportive elected officials of college students that can be found anywhere. Let's be thankful that she has served our interests and will continue to serve the interests of students for many years to come.
