Barbara Mikulski

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Barbara Mikulski
Senior Senator from Maryland
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 6, 1987– Serving with Ben Cardin
Preceded by	Charles Mathias, Jr.
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
Born	July 20, 1936 (age 70) Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	None
Profession	Social worker, Activist
Religion	Roman Catholic

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. She has served as senator since 1987, and is currently the most senior female U.S. Senator.

Contents 1 Early life and activism 2 Congressional career 2.1 Committee assignments 3 Senate action 4 Election history 5 Footnotes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] 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. Mikulski went to work on the front lines in President John F. Kennedy’s war against poverty. 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Committee assignments

As of June 2006, Mikulski serves on the following Senate committees:

• Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
  • Ranking Member of the Retirement Security and Aging Subcommittee.
• Member of the Appropriations Committee.
  • Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee.
  • Member of the Defense Subcommittee.
  • Member of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.
  • Member of the Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
  • Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.
• Member of the Select Committee On Intelligence.

[edit] 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.^{[citation needed]} Senator Mikulski is also a strong supporter of NASA and expanding exploration of space.

[edit] 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%

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Official biography of Senator Mikulski
• Congressional Quarterly Elections History Library

[edit] External links

• United States Senator Barbara Mikulski official Senate site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• 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
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Barbara Mikulski profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Barbara Mikulski voting record

Political offices
Preceded by Paul Sarbanes	Representative for the 3rd Congressional District of Maryland 1977-1987	Succeeded by Benjamin L. Cardin
Preceded by Charles Mathias, Jr.	United States Senator (Class 3) from Maryland 1987- Served alongside: Paul Sarbanes, Benjamin Cardin	Succeeded by Incumbent

Maryland's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators: Barbara Mikulski (D), Ben Cardin (D) Representative(s): Wayne Gilchrest (R), Dutch Ruppersberger (D), John Sarbanes (D), Albert Wynn (D), Steny Hoyer (D), Roscoe Bartlett (R), Elijah Cummings (D), Chris Van Hollen (D) All delegations: Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands