Baldwin re-elected to US Senate for Wisconsin, defeating Vukmir, CBS projects

Rose Schmidt by Rose Schmidt

Sen. Tammy Baldwin has been re-elected to the U.S. Senate after a statewide race against opponent Leah Vukmir.

On Tuesday, both candidates acknowledged the long, hard-fought battle and thanked their supporters for heading to the polls. They both toured around the state, making frequent campaign stops right up to the election.

.@CBSNews projects that Democrat @tammybaldwin defeats Republican @LeahVukmir. #news3 https://t.co/w6J35snaur

— Rose Schmidt (@RoseSchmidtTV) November 7, 2018

The U.S. Senate race has largely centered on the issue of health care and the fight to protect pre-existing conditions. Baldwin is a longtime supporter of the federal Affordable Care Act but told News 3 she would work to “fix” and “improve” the law if re-elected. Vukmir vowed to protect pre-existing conditions while emphasizing that she would be the deciding vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act if elected.

Baldwin was (first) elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2012, making history as the first woman from Wisconsin to be sent to the Senate. She has served in elected office in Wisconsin since 1986, when she was 24 years old.

Vukmir has been a state senator since 2010. Prior to that, she had served in the state Assembly since 2002. Vukmir has highlighted her career as a nurse and called herself “a mom with a cause.”

This race marked the first time the two major party nominees for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin were women.

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