Baldwin, Vukmir hit critical stretch in Senate race
Poll last month showed likely votes in dead heat
With less than two months to go before the Nov. 6 election, the race for U.S. Senate is now fully engaged.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin criticized Republican challenger Leah Vukmir on health care during a campaign stop in Wauwatosa on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Vukmir, a state senator from Brookfield, released her first ad of the general election Friday, a biographical spot that plays off her theme of bringing the “Wisconsin Way” to Washington, D.C.
On Monday, Vukmir plans to meet with veterans as her campaign is poised to clash with Baldwin on veterans issues, including the scandal at the Tomah VA Medical Center. The Tomah VA was wracked several years ago by a scandal involving over-prescription of opioids.
Republicans accuse Baldwin of failing to act in 2015 on problems at the facility. Baldwin disciplined top aides for bungling whistleblower complaints about the facility, including sitting on an inspector general’s report.
Last month’s Marquette University Law School poll showed the race in a dead heat among likely voters.
Appearing at a “Women for Tammy” event at a wine bar in Wauwatosa, Baldwin stepped up her criticism of Vukmir over health care.
Baldwin supports the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, while Vukmir backs the law’s repeal and replacement.
Baldwin charged that Vukmir “has voted with the pharmaceutical companies in instances that show that she is on the side of those big spenders in this election.” She also said Vukmir supports a rule by President Donald Trump’s administration that will allow consumers to purchase short-term insurance plans that are less costly — but lower quality — than coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Baldwin who is leading a Democratic move in the U.S. Senate to overturn the rule, calls those plans “junk insurance,” since they don’t have to cover essential services or those with pre-existing health conditions.
“If Leah Vukmir had been our U.S. senator last year, the Affordable Care Act would already be gone,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin was joined Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List, a national group that seeks to elect female candidates.
“We cannot let our foot off the gas for Tammy Baldwin in this election,” Schriock said, adding “we cannot take this for granted at all.”
Responding to a “Women for Tammy” event, Vukmir’s campaign took the opportunity to criticize Baldwin on pay equity, noting female full-time staffers in Baldwin’s U.S. Senate office made 74% of male staffers’ salaries in fiscal year 2017.
“Tammy Baldwin has let women down as she pays her female staff 74 cents on the dollar,” Vukmir campaign manager Jess Ward said. “As a nurse and military mom, Leah Vukmir will always look out for women.”
Vukmir’s campaign is emphasizing her experience as a nurse, using its first ad of the general election to introduce her to the wider pool of voters. After a full year of campaigning among Republican grass-roots voters, Vukmir defeated Kevin Nicholson in the Republican primary last month.
“I know what it’s like: growing up in an immigrant family, working third shift to get through college and 16-hour days to make ends meet, caring for my patients and raising my kids,” Vukmir said in the ad. “I’ve helped make Wisconsin better, and I’ll take that same passion to Washington.”
For her part, Baldwin has been commuting between Washington, where the Senate is in session, and Wisconsin, where the race for her seat is heating up.
One of Baldwin’s legislative priorities is to make sure her “Buy America” proposal is made a permanent part of water infrastructure legislation. She has called on House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville and the House to include the permanent commitment to U.S.made iron and steel in the final version of the bill.
Baldwin appeared energized to be on the campaign trail, though, with around 100 people showing up for her Saturday morning event in Wauwatosa. Baldwin said those who attended the event are “are inspired by fighting on the issues and now understand they need to take that message to the ballot box.”