Baldwin Pitches Senate Bid, Bloomberg Accepts Ally Award at HRC Dinner
Besides President Obama’s keynote address at the Human Rights Campaign’s 15th annual national dinner, the two key political speeches came from a representative from Wisconsin and a mayor from New York.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) told the crowd — to thunderous applause — “I’m Tammy Baldwin, and I’m running for Senate.”
Baldwin, who was introduced by longtime HRC board of director Bruce Bastian, has announced that she is seeking the Democratic nomination in 2012 for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), who is retiring at the end of this term.
Baldwin told the crowd, “I come from a state that isn’t fully blue or red, but somewhere in the middle.
“To be perfectly honest with you,” she said, “most of the people that I represent couldn’t care less that I’m gay … They care about making sure that they can find a good job.”
Referencing successes — including marriage equality in New York and the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Baldwin said, “Together, we have made this country more just and safer for all Americans to be who they are.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Ind.) accepted HRC’s National Ally for Equality Award for his work in support of marriage equality in New York.
After being introduced by Sarah Jessica Parker, Bloomberg told the crowd that “[w]hen two people commit their lives to one another, no government should stand in the way.”
The mayor, who previously was elected as a Republican, also said, “Marriage equality is fundamentally consistent with both parties’ principles.”
Watch Baldwin’s speech:
Watch Bloomberg’s speech:
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