Barbara Mikulski
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| Barbara 'Babbs' Mikulski | |
| Image:Barbara Mikulski.jpg
| |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 1987 Serving with Ben Cardin | |
| Preceded by | Charles Mathias, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Incumbent (2011) |
| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Sarbanes |
| Succeeded by | Ben Cardin |
| Born | July 20 1936 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | None |
| Alma mater | Mount Saint Agnes College |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Barbara Ann Mikulski (born July 20, 1936) is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and the senior Senator from the state of Maryland. She is currently the most senior female Senator, having served since 1987.
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[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. 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.[2] 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.[3][4]
Mikulski, popularly known as "Senator Barb," was re-elected with large majorities in 1992, 1998 and 2004.
[edit] Committee assignments
As of April 2007, Mikulski serves on the following Senate committees:
- Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
- Chairwoman of the Retirement and Aging Subcommittee.
- Member of the Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee.
- Member of the Appropriations Committee.
- Chairwoman 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 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 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.
In 2007, Mikulski endorsed fellow colleague, 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.
[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] References
[edit] External links
- United States Senator Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Senate website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Paul Sarbanes | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 3rd congressional district 1977-1987 | Succeeded by Ben Cardin |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Charles Mathias, Jr. | United States Senator (Class 3) from Maryland 1987 – present Served alongside: Paul Sarbanes, Benjamin Cardin | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by David Pryor | Secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference 1995 – 2005 | Succeeded by Debbie Stabenow |
| 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 |
United States Senators from Maryland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Carroll • Potts • Howard • S.Smith • Harper • Hanson • Pinkney • S. Smith • Kent • Merrick • Johnson • Stewart • Pratt • Kennedy • Johnson • Whyte • Hamilton • Whyte • Gorman • McComas • Rayner • Jackson • Lee • France • Bruce • P. Goldsborough • Radcliffe • O'Conor • Beall, Sr. • J. Tydings • Beall, Jr. • Sarbanes • Cardin | Image:Senate cap.PNG |
| Class 3 | Henry • J. Lloyd • Hindman • Wright • Reed • R. Goldsborough • E. Lloyd • Chambers • R. Goldsborough • Spence • Kerr • Pearce • Hicks • Creswell • Thomas • Vickers • Dennis • Groome • Wilson • Gibson • Wellington • Gorman • Whyte • J. Smith • Weller • M. Tydings • Butler • Brewster • Mathias • Mikulski | |
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Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | 1936 births | Anti-road protest | Living people | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland | People from Baltimore, Maryland | Polish-American politicians | United States Senators from Maryland | Alumnae of women's universities and colleges
