'My campaign was about the struggle of the middle class,' Tammy Baldwin said. Baldwin: It's more than being gay

Tammy Baldwin, who became the first openly gay U.S. senator when she won in Wisconsin on Tuesday, said that her campaign was about much more than LGBT issues.

When CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien asked her Wednesday morning if she felt “a personal burden to push forward with a gay agenda,” the Democrat said she didn’t run to make history but to make a difference.


( PHOTOS: Election Day 2012)

“You know, what I would say in terms of crashing through that glass ceiling is, you know, if you’re not in the room the conversation is about you. If you’re in the room, the conversation is with you. That does transform things. But as I said last night, I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference,” said Baldwin, currently a Wisconsin congresswoman.

She continued: “And my campaign was about the struggle of the middle class, retirement security for seniors, doing right by our veterans when they return home from war. That Wisconsin selected me to face those challenges is historic. But I think it was much more about confronting the very significant challenges that our nation faces right now.”

But she did say that she thinks winning has made the Senate “more reflective of America.”

( Also on POLITICO: Baldwin tops Thompson in Wisconsin)

“I do think having a seat at the table matters. And I think that we will see a Senate that is more reflective of America. We’re certainly not there yet,” Baldwin said. “But this will be a change that will move us forward and will have the life experience of more women in the United States Senate.”