Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin born February 11, [ 1 ] is an American politician and lawyer serving since as the junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party , she has also served as the Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus since and is the dean of the United States congressional delegation from Wisconsin.
Baldwin graduated from Smith College and the University of Wisconsin Law School , and was a lawyer in private practice before entering the Wisconsin State Assembly in She served three terms from Wisconsin's 78th Assembly district from to , and seven terms as the United States congresswoman from Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district from to She was elected to the United States Senate in , and reelected in and Baldwin is the first openly lesbian woman elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly , the first openly lesbian woman and first woman elected to the U.
Senate from Wisconsin Baldwin was born and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Her mother, who died in , was 19 and going through a divorce when Baldwin was born. Baldwin was raised by her grandparents and spent Saturdays with her mother, who suffered from mental illness and opioid addiction.
Green , was Jewish the son of immigrants from Russia and Germany , and her maternal grandmother, who was Anglican , was English-born. Through her maternal grandfather, Baldwin is a third cousin of comedian Andy Samberg. Baldwin graduated from Madison West High School in as the class valedictorian. She earned a B. Before entering state politics, Baldwin first held political office in at age 24, when she was elected to the Dane County Board of Supervisors , on which she served until Baldwin ran to represent Wisconsin's 78th Assembly district in central Madison in In , U.
Congressman Scott Klug of the 2nd district , based in Madison, announced he would retire, prompting Baldwin to run for the seat. Baldwin's ads leaned into the fact that Wisconsin had never sent a woman to Congress, and many of her ads targeted younger voters. The turnout was said to have helped Russ Feingold's reelection campaign that year , and was acknowledged by Feingold as a factor.
