CHARLOTTE, N.C.— U.S. Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., told delegates at the Democratic National Convention Thursday evening about “the Wisconsin [she] know[s],” pushing back against the notion of a Republican wave in the state and advocating for a more level economic playing field.
In her address on the final night of the convention, Baldwin said GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, Gov. Scott Walker and her opponent in the U.S. Senate race, former Gov. Tommy Thompson, do not truly represent the state’s values.
“I’m here to tell you that they don’t speak for all of Wisconsin,” Baldwin told the audience. “I want you to hear about the Wisconsin I know, the place where my grandparents raised me, the place where generations of families have worked hard to get ahead, the place where our state motto might sound familiar to you. It’s just one word: forward.”
Baldwin, who has served seven congressional terms representing Madison, made the case for rebuilding the economy through the middle class and assailed Republicans for supporting policies that have favored the wealthiest Americans. She touted the “Buffett Rule” legislation she introduced in Congress, which would raise taxes on the top bracket of income-earners.
“We believe that if we’re going to prosper, everyone has to have a fair shot, and everyone has to do their fair share,” she said.
Baldwin, who is vying to become the nation’s first openly gay senator, also praised Obama for repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a policy that prevented openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military.
“Republicans want to write discrimination into our Constitution,” Baldwin said. “But the Wisconsin I know believes that with each passing year and each generation, our country must become more equal, not less.”
Wisconsin delegate and College Democrats of Wisconsin Chair Andy Suchorski said it was an “awesome” experience to watch Baldwin address a packed crowd of Democrats in prime time and successfully illustrate the party’s vision.
“She laid out that there is a clear choice between what we have in Wisconsin… and what we could have in Wisconsin,” Suchorski said.
At a Wisconsin delegation breakfast Thursday morning, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., said Baldwin deserved the prime time slot because she is a “very real example of what the Democratic Party stands for.”
Kohl told delegates they need to ensure Baldwin takes his seat in the Senate because the two parties have never had such contrasting visions for the country.
“Nobody else in the United States understands more than we do in Wisconsin that elections have consequences,” Kohl said. “Wisconsin is a state right on the edge of deciding the national election.”
