U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin touted her efforts to stand against special interests and pledged to continue championing the state’s interests “with every fiber” as she urged students to head to the polls.
“I have never been afraid to stand up to those interests,” she told a group of college students at a downtown Madison field office this afternoon.
The Madison Dem also pointed to the outside spending against her in the race, saying she decided to use it as a “matter of pride” in her campaign.
Baldwin, speaking to reporters before heading to Memorial Union to cast her ballot, also knocked President Trump for using the ongoing news about the migrant caravan making its way through Mexico as a way to score “political points” instead of working toward a solution.
Still, she stressed the need to apply the country’s laws, adding, “There’s no exception whether there’s a group or single person that comes.”
Asked about national news reports that show Trump finalizing an executive order that would require asylum seekers to head to legal ports of entry, Baldwin expressed concern about temporary or permanent closures to those entry points that wouldn’t allow individuals to get processed.
“That’s a problem,” she said.
Baldwin’s comments to reporters were repeatedly interrupted by a man looking to ask the senator why African-American voters should support her “with the stuff that’s going on in our community.” After Baldwin addressed a series of questions from the media, she turned her attention to the man, and pointed to her bill, called “The Stronger Way Act,” aiming to make changes to the earned income tax credit.
A brief exchange ensued during which the man, who is African-American, interrupted Baldwin to continue to ask her what she would do for African-Americans.
“That’s got nothing to do with the black community, we’re talking about the black community,” the man said of Baldwin’s bill, adding: “We are property, we are property, when are we going to change the fact that we are property?”
At one point, Baldwin countered the man was “talking at her” rather than with her, to which the man again responded by restating his question: “Why should our votes go to you?”
Baldwin continued highlighting her bill, which she noted would also provide more money to lower-income households, expand the child tax credit and support transitional job programs; as well as a “ban the box” bill to compel employers to remove a question from applications asking if those applying have a criminal record and a federal-level criminal justice overhaul.
After Baldwin listed off her efforts, the man responded: “Thank you, that’s all we ask you,” and headed out the door as the remaining assembled students broke into applause.
After he left, Baldwin turned to the students and said, to laughs, “So I guess as an example, some voters you have to work harder for, and we got to be willing to do that.”
