Badger fans shouted cheers of ""We love you, Tammy!"" as they walked past the Baldwin camp on their way to Camp Randall. In a midterm election year in which being an incumbent and a Democrat are strikes one and two, it's all the more amazing to see six-term U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin still managing to hit home runs with the crowd.
Tammy and her staffers started campaigning early on homecoming Saturday, as they do every weekend leading up to the Nov. 2 elections. She and three ""Team Tammy"" members were under the Randall Street arch by 9:45 a.m. handing out stickers, shaking hands and signing supporters up for yard signs. Her team quickly grew from three to seven as the fans started pouring in.
She needed all the staff she could get. Constituents of the 2nd District, which covers Madison along with a large chunk of southern Wisconsin, are informed and engaged; none of them were afraid to approach Tammy and strike up a conversation on any particular issue (a little pregame liquid courage never hurt anyone). But she was ready for it. At one point Tammy had been talking with a Badger fan from her district for 20 minutes before she realized it was time to leave for her next campaign stop at the Dane County Farmer's Market.
She's always ready to hear from the people she represents. Tammy told me the campaign trail is her best opportunity to learn about the issues facing people of the 2nd District. That's when they're most engaged.
As Republican officials keep claiming the ""enthusiasm gap"" will help them overcome Democrats on Nov. 2, Tammy was quick to remind me that the conservative side is banking on young people staying at home. ""There's an expectation that young people won't vote, that students won't vote … Alright, I'm going to show up and ask students to show up."" So she goes to Badger football games, concerts at Memorial Union and debates in the Business School to tell students she needs their support. And she's been doing that successfully for over a decade now.
There's a reason for her success. Tammy truly embodies the ideologies of progressive voters in the 2nd District. After attending UW Law School and serving on the county board and in the state assembly, she was the first Wisconsin woman elected to Congress. Excluding incumbents, Tammy was also the first ever openly gay candidate to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She's one of those rare political treasures that Democrats should feel confident re-electing term after term.
But Tammy attributes her success to the connections she shares with constituents, not just her background. ""There's a significant alignment between the issues I pressed and the concerns of the people I represent,"" she told me when we sat down in Peet's Coffee at Memorial Union. She had just finished introducing Ari Herstand to the crowd for the last Summer Series concert of the year at the Terrace. ""That's pretty crazy,"" Herstand told the audience. ""I've never been introduced by a congresswoman before.""
That's exactly how Tammy connects with her constituents. She goes where they are and she listens to what they have to say—something other candidates could learn from this election cycle.
In Wisconsin this year, more money has been spent on televised political ads than any other state in the nation, yet you won't see Tammy attacking her opponent on TV. ""Most of my resources are invested in field organizers,"" she told me. ""I'm running a campaign that's person-to-person … Let's get this person's vote, let's get that person's vote, let's get them out."" And it's a strategy that scares Republicans.
For instance, in Wisconsin's 7th District, Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy has raised nearly $1.5 million this campaign cycle to fight against Julie Lassa for retiring congressman Dave Obey's open seat. By comparison, Tammy's opponent, business owner Chad Lee, has only raised about $76,000 in his uphill battle against the congresswoman.
Unlike other congressional races in Wisconsin, Lee hasn't benefitted from top national Republican contributors and special interest groups. National Republicans leaders know there are seats you have a chance of winning and seats you don't. Tammy's is one that isn't within reach.
Even though Tammy is dominating Lee in fundraising numbers, they share some similar concerns: jobs and the economy. Until our economy is in full recovery mode, she told me, these are her top priorities. Stories from struggling constituents leave a mark on Tammy, but it's her determination to fix our economy that leaves her constituents confident in their congresswoman.
And she's fighting for her past accomplishments, too. ""Until we had this enormous recession to deal with, the number one issue I heard from constituents was health care,"" she said. ""It's been my life's work to help create a system where everyone will have coverage that's high-quality and they can afford.""
With Republicans threatening to win a majority in Washington, she fears that universal health care won't make it through all of its phases if Democrats like herself don't fight hard in the last two weeks leading up to the election.
And she's been fighting hard. In a foreign affairs debate last Sunday against Lee, Tammy didn't hesitate to pounce. But unlike many of her fellow Democrats across Wisconsin, Tammy's attacks highlighted her understanding of the issues, not the personal faults of her opponent. ""First, you start by knowing what the Millennium Development Goals are,"" she told the crowd after Lee failed to answer a question on the set of international goals aimed at reducing worldwide poverty and disease.
That's the reason Tammy will be re-elected this year, and why she should be for as long as she still wants a seat in the House. Tammy already knows the ins and outs of each and every policy item that comes across her desk—she doesn't make uninformed decisions on the fly. By the same token, she knows the people of Wisconsin, and days on the campaign trail—be they at football games or debates—only increase her understanding.
I'm confident Tammy will be re-elected on Nov. 2. Not just because Republicans are scared of her, but because she truly is the best reprsentative for Wisconsin's 2nd District. Her progressive stance on the issues shaping this election only complements her competence and personality.
With fewer than two weeks left until the election, other Democratic candidates need to latch onto progressive champions like Tammy. They need to realize what Tammy has known for years—that if you connect with the people, your opponents' attacks will fall on deaf ears. Hopefully her army of supporters can help close the gap this election cycle and give her fellow Democrats what she's given to Wisconsin for over a decade: Confidence.
Dan Tollefson is a senior majoring in English. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
