Women in the U.S. Senate Denise Hudson November 25,2012 SW314 Social Welfare Diane McMilian, LMSW

Five new women to the U.S. Senate The election of November 6, 2012 will be forever known as a history making election America’s first Afro-American President was elected to a second term, same-sex marriages were legalized in several states, marijuana was legalized for recreational use in two states and of the 33 seats up for election in the U.S. Senate five of its newest members are women bringing the total number of women in the U.S. Senate to 20.

Following is a brief bio of the newest female members of the U.S Senate.

Debra Fischer Nebraska (R) Born March 1, 1951 Married with 3 children Graduate from Univ. Of Nebraska with a B.S. in Education Belongs to several committees such as the Executive committee of National Conference of State Legislators, co- chairperson of Energy Committee and Midwest Legislative Conference just to name a few. Fischer's campaign platform included a pledge never to raise taxes and a Constitutional balanced-budget amendment.

Tammy Baldwin Wisconsin (D) Born February Not married Attended at Smith College in Massachusetts, where she majored in mathematics and government and graduated in She went on to receive a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in From 1993 to 1999, Baldwin represented her state's 78th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly Baldwin served in the House from 1993 to Baldwin was twice re-elected to Wisconsin's Assembly (District 78), serving until January 1999, Baldwin made history in the 1998 election, Baldwin defeated Republican candidate Josephine Musser for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman from Wisconsin to serve in Congress, as well as only the second openly gay member of the House (after Barney Frank). She became the first openly gay politician elected to the U.S. Senate, as well as the first Wisconsin woman elected to the Senate, in Representing Wisconsin's 2nd District (including seven of the state's counties) from 1999 to 2012, and serving on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Baldwin became known for her strong support of LGBT rights and universal health care, among other issues.

Elizabeth Warren Mass. (D) Born in Oklahoma City in 1949 Graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in law. Worked as a law professor at Harvard University. Warren also has a degree in speech pathology from the University of Houston In 1995, Warren was asked to advise the new National Bankruptcy Review Commission. During Warren's time as chief adviser, Warren testified against Congressional efforts to limit consumers' ability to file for bankruptcy. Despite her best efforts, the bill passed in Her first defeat. As chair the Congressional Oversight Panel, which was created to monitor the $700 billion bank bailout effort known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program. In 2011, Warren helped design the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau The main goal of the CFPB was to police credit lenders and prevent consumers from unwittingly signing up for risky loans. At the convention, she heavily discussed the need for economic and government reforms. "America's middle class is getting hammered, and Washington is rigged to work for the big guy,"

Heidi Heitkemp North Dakota (D) Born October 30, 1955 She earned a B.A. from the University of North Dakota and then a J.D. (law) from Lewis and Clark Law School. In she served as the 28th North Dakota Attorney General from 1993 to 2001 Heitkamp ran on the Democratic ticket for governor in 2000, unfortunately she lost that bid. She then considered a bid for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate election to replace retiring Senator Byron Dorgan declined the rematch against Hoeven, who was ultimately elected. In November 2011, Heitkamp declared her candidacy to replace Kent Conrad as U.S. Senator from North Dakota. She is North Dakota's second female senator. Her platform focuses on healthcare, spending, taxes and energy.

Mazie Hirono Hawaii (D) Born in Japan. Fled to the United States at age 8 with her mother and older brother in 1955 to escape an abusive and alcoholic father. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and earned a law degree from Georgetown University. Her political career is as follows: elected State House in 1980, then Lt. Governor in 2004 and in 2006 elected to U.S. House. Hirono is the first Asian-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.