Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, confirmed that she would serve as Joe Biden’s running mate if the alleged Democratic presidential candidate asked her.
During Baldwin’s appearance on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, co-host Whoopi Goldberg noted that “rumors are circulating” that Baldwin “has been extensively interviewed” to be Biden’s vice presidential election.
“Would you take it if they offered it to you? Does it scare you at all? Goldberg asked.
Baldwin was quick to definitively answer a question that followed her for months: “If he asked me to be his running mate, he certainly would.”
If selected, Baldwin would be the first openly gay vice presidential candidate.
Reflecting on LGBTQ Pride Month, which is celebrated in June, Baldwin recounted her long career as an openly elected pioneer official lesbian. She left in 1986 when she won her first election to serve on the Dane County Board of Supervisors in Wisconsin at the age of 24. Baldwin later served in the Wisconsin Assembly and represented Madison.
When she was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1999, she was the first female member of the Wisconsin Congress and the first openly gay non-dominant elected to the House. When Baldwin won a Senate seat in 2012, she also became the first gay member of that body.
“I have always tried not to make history, but to make a difference,” Baldwin said, reflecting on his series of historic victories. She also noted that those who voted for her “understand that I am there fighting for them on issues that concern us all.”
Baldwin also reflected on the “wonderful” Supreme Court decision in the Bostock v. Case. Clayton County, Georgia. The superior court, in a decision 6-3 last week, ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“This was such a desired result, and I think it sends a very strong message to all of those especially in the LGBTQ community who live in communities that do not have laws that protect them in employment,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin said the next step is to pass the Equality Act, a bill he co-sponsored that would amend civil rights laws related to employment, housing, public accommodations, jury duty, education, federal programs and credit for adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to your lists of protected classes.
“We need to do it because this decision,” said de Bostock, “is limited to the workplace context and yet discrimination in housing, public accommodation, education and other facets of life that are still so important.”
What Baldwin accomplished in his 2018 Senate election makes it particularly interesting for the Biden campaign, which sees Wisconsin as vital to winning more than 270 votes in the Election College, according to NBC News.
In 2016, President Donald Trump made Wisconsin the Republican column for the first time since President Ronald Reagan did so in 1984, but just two years later, Baldwin defeated Republican candidate Leah Vukmir in a “collapse.”
In March, Biden promised to choose a woman as a career partner. Those said to be investigating her campaign include Stacey Abrams of Georgia; Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada; Senator Kamala Harris of California; Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; and Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
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