Politics

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin Beats Back Conservative Challenger Leah Vukmir

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Democratic Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin triumphed over GOP challenger Leah Vukmir on Tuesday night, retaining her seat representing the state in the U.S. Senate.

Baldwin beat back a challenge from Vukmir in a state President Donald Trump won in 2016, according to CBS News and The Hill.

Baldwin was elected to U.S. Senate in 2012 as a liberal Democrat during the start of a largely conservative stint of governance in Wisconsin. Despite her state’s roughly seven-year rightward tilt in 2018, Baldwin capitalized off of anti-Trump sentiment working in her favor.

Baldwin is one of the most reliably Democratic votes in the Senate, according to Ballotpedia. She campaigned on her support for universal government-sponsored health care and helped craft the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Baldwin is pro-abortion rights and critical of Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S. southern border, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.

Vukmir, a 16-year veteran of the Wisconsin state legislature, excited Republicans early on after rising to the top of a five-candidate primary. Vukmir earned a reputation as a staunch conservative in the state legislature that helped push much of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s agenda, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Wisconsin’s political scene became a battleground attracting heavy-hitters from both parties. President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and former President Barack Obama visited the state in the final days of campaigning to rally support for their respective parties.

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