BARBARA MIKULSKI

'Barbara Ann Mikulski' (born July 20, 1936), a member of the Democratic Party, is the current Class III United States Senator representing the State of Maryland. The first, and, to date, only, woman elected to represent Maryland in the Senate, she has served as senator since 1987, and is currently the most senior female U.S. Senator.

Contents

Early life and activism

Congressional career

Committee assignments

Senate action

Election history

References

External links

Early life and activism

Born as the great-granddaughter of Polish immigrants who owned a local bakery, Barbara is the oldest of three daughters of Christine Kutz and William Mikulski.^[1] She was born and raised in historic and ethnically diverse East Baltimore. During her high school years at the Institute of Notre Dame, she worked in her parents' grocery store, delivering groceries to seniors in her neighborhood who were unable to leave their homes.
After graduating from Mount Saint Agnes College (now a part of the Loyola College in Maryland), she obtained her masters degree in social work (MSW) from the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She worked as a social worker for Catholic charities and Baltimore's Department of Social Services, helping at-risk children and educating seniors about the Medicare program. Mikulski became an activist social worker when she heard about plans to build a 16-lane highway through Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood. She helped organize communities on both sides of the city and stopped the construction of the road, saving Fells Point and Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
Mikulski's activism led to a seat on the Baltimore City Council in 1971.

Congressional career

In 1974 she ran for the U.S. Senate for the first time, but was defeated by the Republican incumbent, Charles Mathias, Jr. It turned out to be the only time that Mikulski ever lost an election.
In 1976, she won the Democratic nomination for the 3rd Congressional District of Maryland after the incumbent, Paul Sarbanes, made a successful run for the Senate. She was easily elected in November, winning 76% of the vote. She was reelected four more times, never facing substantive opposition in the heavily Democratic district.
In 1986 Mikulski announced her retirement from politics. At the time of this announcement, it was expected that then-Governor Harry Hughes would run for the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Mathias. However Hughes became caught up in the aftermath of the Maryland savings and loan crisis. He lost popularity with voters, opening the door for Mikulski's bid for the Senate. During the campaign, her opponent, Linda Chavez, made comments that Mikulski's supporters interpreted as an attempt to draw attention to the issue of Mikulski's sexual orientation. Mikulski never directly responded to the issue, and eventually won the race with 61% of the vote [1]. She was the first female Democrat elected to the US Senate in her own right (not appointed or filling a seat of a dead husband). Mikulski is one of 11 senators to vote against both the 1991 and 2002 resolutions authorizing the use of force in Iraq^[2][3].
Mikulski, popularly known as "Senator Barb," was re-elected with large majorities in 1992, 1998 and 2004.

Committee assignments

As of April 2007, Mikulski serves on the following Senate committees:

★ Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

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★ Chairwoman of the Retirement and Aging Subcommittee.

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★ Member of the Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee.

★ Member of the Appropriations Committee.

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★ Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee.

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★ Member of the Defense Subcommittee.

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★ Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.

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★ Member of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

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★ Member of the Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

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★ Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

★ Member of the Select Committee On Intelligence.

Senate action

Senator Mikulski has taken a strong stance against predatory lending, even going so far as to take personal action against Fairbanks Capital, which is claimed to have illegally foreclosed on over 100 homes in Maryland. Senator Mikulski is also a strong supporter of NASA and expanding exploration of space.
In 2007, Mikulski endorsed fellow colleage, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for the President of the United States; Mikulski noted the leadership qualities within Clinton and cited her desire to break the "glass ceiling" by electing the first woman President.

Election history

Year	Office	Election		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1976	Congress, MD 3rd district	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	143,461	74.59%		Samuel Culotta	Republican	36,447	25.41%
1978	Congress, MD 3rd district	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	91,189	100%		Unopposed
1980	Congress, MD 3rd district	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	134,367	76.13%		Russell Schaffer	Republican	32,074	23.87%
1982	Congress, MD 3rd district	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	110,042	74.2%		Robert Scherr	Republican	38,259	25.8%
1984	Congress, MD 3rd district	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	133,189	68.21%		Ross Pierpont	Republican	59,493	30.47%
1986	MD Senator, Class 3	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	675,225	60.69%		Linda Chavez	Republican	437,411	39.31%
1992	MD Senator, Class 3	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	1,307,610	71%		Alan Keyes	Republican	533,688	28.98%
1998	MD Senator, Class 3	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	1,062,810	70.5%		Ross Pierpont	Republican	444,637	29.5%
2004	MD Senator, Class 3	General		'Barbara Mikulski'	Democratic	1,504,691	64.77%		E.J. Pipkin	Republican	783,055	33.71%

References

1. rootsweb.com
2. [2]
3. [3]


★ Official biography of Senator Mikulski

★ Congressional Quarterly Elections History Library

External links

★ United States Senator Barbara Mikulski 'official Senate website'

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★ Federal Election Commission — Barbara Mikulski campaign finance reports and data

★ On the Issues — Barbara Mikulski issue positions and quotes

★ OpenSecrets.org — Barbara A. Mikulski campaign contributions

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★ SourceWatch Congresspedia — Barbara Mikulski profile