Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin’s first woman senator and the Senate’s first openly gay senator.  Tammy visited us in the Springtime and ultimately won her seat against Tommy Thompson, who was the early favorite, but who was taped at a Tea Party event saying “who better than me, that’s already finished one of the entitlement programs, to come up with programs that do away with Medicaid and Medicare?”  Thompson, once a very popular governor, also wrote the strongly anti-choice (no exceptions for rape, incest, or a threat to the mother’s life) platform for the 2000 presidential election.  In 2007, he also said that businesses should be able to discriminate against gay people.  We’re so proud of our new Senator Tammy Baldwin; her election gives us a firmly pro-choice, progressive, impressive new Senator.

Debbie Stabenow, of Michigan, who defeated anti-choice candidate Pete Hoekstra, 58.8% to 38%.  Senator Stabenow has a solid record of protecting women’s rights, and we’re thrilled to see her garner such strong support from Michigan voters.

Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, who attended our holiday party in 2011 and defeated Scott Brown 53.7% to 46.3%. “Unfortunately for pro-choice voters, Brown’s idea of pro-choice doesn’t resemble the kind of broad support for women’s reproductive rights and health care access most of us think of when we wield the term…..It appears that he will try to vote as far to the right on reproductive health as he feels he can without riling up Massachusetts voters."

Suzan DelBene (House of Representatives, from Washington State) defeated John Koster 53.9% to 46.0%.  We’re very proud of DelBene for winning this newly drawn district.  While DelBene is very, very talented, her opponent did himself no favors by touting extreme right views on women’s reproductive rights.

Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, who also visited early in 2012, and went on to defeat anti-choice candidate Kurt Bills 65.2% to 30.5%.  Klobuchar is a rising star.

Claire McCaskill, of Missouri, who defeated the infamous Todd Akin 54.8% to 39.1%. When McCaskill came to visit us, the prognosis was that her seat was highly at risk.  Fortunately, when Todd Akin opened his mouth to spout nonsense about how rape victims have a way of shutting down to prevent conception, Missouri voters decided they could be even more effective at shutting down his candidacy. Congratulations Senator McCaskill!

Jon Tester, of Montana, who visited us this Spring and who defeated anti-choice candidate Denny Rehberg 48.5% to 44.8%.  According to Daily Kos, “For women, the Montana Senate race between Democratic incumbent Senator Jon Tester and Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg is important and features a clash between two different views on choice.  Tester is pro-choice and Rehberg is anti-choice and wants to destroy Planned Parenthood.”

Mazie Hirono, of Hawaii, who defeated Linda Lingle 61.6% to 36.8%.  Hirono is the first Asian-American woman in the Senate, Hawaii’s first woman Senator, and the first Buddhist in the Senate.  Lingle was formerly Hawaii’s governor, and as governor, she “vetoed a bill that would have required hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims who wanted it, citing hospitals with religious objections.  She even boasts about the veto on her website.”

Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, who came to visit in September 2011 and again in 2014, defeated Wendy Long, 71.9% to 26.7%. "Long also said that she would end federal funding for Planned Parenthood…..Long said she was a practicing Catholic, and that church doctrine characterizes abortion as ‘evil’.”