Tammy Baldwin was born in Madison, Wisconsin and raised by her grandparents in the Badger State. Her grandfather was a scientist at the University of Wisconsin and her grandmother was a gifted artist and seamstress who became chief costumer of the UW Theater Department.  

When Tammy was nine years old, she was diagnosed with a serious childhood illness similar to spinal meningitis.  She spent three months in the hospital. 

Her grandparents had health insurance, but they weren't allowed to list Tammy as a dependent.  Their insurance wouldn't cover her care. They were forced to make great sacrifices to pay for Tammy's health care. 

Tammy got better, and her grandparents looked for an insurance policy that would cover her in the future.  But they discovered that, because of her previous illness, they couldn't find such a policy. Not from any insurer.  Not at any price. Tammy had been branded with the words "pre-existing condition."   

Now, because of the Affordable Care Act, championed by Tammy in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate, children have protections that they didn't have before and can't be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. 

As her grandmother grew older, Tammy served as her grandmother's primary caregiver - an extremely rewarding, but also challenging responsibility. Growing up in a grandfamily and being a caregiver shaped Tammy's future in public service, as she led the bipartisan effort to support family caregivers by sponsoring and passing the RAISE Family Caregivers Act in the Senate. 

Tammy graduated from Madison West High School and went on to double-major in political science and mathematics at Smith College. In 1989, she received her law degree from UW-Madison.  

Tammy was elected to four terms (1986-1994) on the Dane County Board of Supervisors.  In 1992, Tammy was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a State Representative for the 78th District, serving three terms. 

 In 1998, Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District shattered the state's glass ceiling and elected Tammy as the state's first female member of Congress and the nation's first openly gay challenger sent to Congress. She served seven terms in the House of Representatives, serving on the Budget Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Energy and Commerce Committee.  

Shortly after Tammy was first elected to Congress, she voted against letting Wall Street and the big banks write their own rules - one of only a handful of members of Congress who voted no on repealing the Glass-Steagall Act.  

Tammy was elected to the U.S. Senate on November 6, 2012, winning a hard fought race and making history as Wisconsin's first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and the first openly gay member elected to the Senate. 

Senator Baldwin has made addressing the student debt crisis and college affordability a top priority, leading many efforts and introducing legislation to meet problems with solutions. She is a lead cosponsor of the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, which would allow struggling borrowers to refinance their student loans and take advantage of lower interest rates. And after holding roundtables with students and recent graduates struggling with the cost of a higher education, Senator Baldwin introduced the America's College Promise Act, the Working Student Act, and spearheaded the bipartisan Senate effort to save the federal Perkins loans aid program for low-income students. In 2016, Senator Baldwin introduced the In The Red Act, a major reform to address college affordability and put America on a path toward debt-free college. 

As a co-chair of the bipartisan Career and Technical Education Caucus (CTE), Senator Baldwin has worked across the aisle to introduce reforms that prioritize CTE, STEM education, and offer stronger support for workforce readiness programs.   

Senator Baldwin believes that more must be done to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few. Tammy has worked to strengthen our manufacturing economy and is a leader in the Senate of the Manufacturing Jobs for America campaign to rally bipartisan support for legislation that would help manufacturers grow and create jobs.

In the proud tradition of Wisconsin's state motto, Forward, she has shown a strong commitment to investing in innovation, science, research and technology so we create stronger growth in advanced manufacturing, small business start-ups and an innovative economy that is built to last and ready to compete with the rest of the world and win. 

Senator Baldwin has worked to ensure Washington does more to respect hard work, invest in economic growth, and give the middle class a fair shot at getting ahead. At a time when too many Wall Street millionaires pay a lower effective tax rate than some truck drivers, teachers and nurses, Senator Baldwin has introduced legislation to eliminate the carried interest tax loophole for hedge fund managers on Wall Street and make sure those at the top are paying their fair share. 

Throughout her career in public service, Tammy has a strong record of working hard for Wisconsin's veterans - making sure their service and sacrifice is honored by providing adequate funding for veterans' health, education, and job-training programs.  

In the Senate she has worked across the aisle, to ensure that our veterans, military families and wounded warriors receive the support and care that they have earned and deserve. The Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act, bipartisan legislation authored by Senator Baldwin in close consultation with medical professionals, veteran's service organizations, and the Simcakoski family, focuses on providing safer and more effective pain management services to our nation's veterans. 

Senator Baldwin serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.