US elects first openly gay senator

Wisconsin chose seven-term openly gay congresswoman Tammy Baldwin over Tommy Thompson to replace Democrat Herb Kohl in the senate. Both candidates were running well funded campaigns and each have enjoyed some important endorsements. President Bill Clinton made an appearance in pro-Baldwin ad and former President George H.W. Bush baking Thompson. Thompson was involved in controversy about a month ago when a video was leaked promising to end Medicare. Medicare is a national social insurance program guarantees access to health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older and younger people with disabilities. Thompson said the video was a ‘lie’ claiming he was misquoted and that the video left out critical context. The race was very close, with Baldwin at 47.9 percent to a 47.1 percent lead by Thompson. Baldwin was among the members who voted against authorising the invasion of Iraq. In the debate, she pushed to allow Bush tax cuts to expire and supported legislation to adopt the Buffet Rule, a tax plan proposed by Barack Obama.