Longtime U.S. senator has made ‘herstory’

SHARE Longtime U.S. senator has made ‘herstory’
cong_CST_032512.jpg

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., speaks to the Democratic National Convention at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Monday, Aug. 14, 2000. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip

WASHINGTON – Barbara Mikulski’s career has been defined by firsts.

The Democrat from Maryland was elected to the U.S. House of Representitves in 1976 and, 10 years later, became the first woman elected to the Senate who had not had a father or husband serve before her.

In 2011, she passed former Maine GOP senator Margaret Chase Smith as the longest-serving woman in Senate history. Last week, she became the longest-serving female in Congress overall – more than 12,800 days.

Mikulski, whose family ran a grocery in Baltimore, said she was called to a life of service, in part, because of her Catholic education. She briefly considered becoming a nun.

“That vow of obedience kind of slowed me down a little bit,” she said.

Now 75, Mikulski is praised by Republicans and Democrats alike for her legislative savvy, commitment to women’s issues, and her role as the informal mentor to all women who have been elected.

“She has shown us how to stand up and fight, and she has taken all of us under her wing,” said Patty Murray, (D-Wash.).

“People are sometimes afraid of her when she gets mad,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, (D-N.Y.). “But mostly, people seek her advice.”

Gannett News Service

The Latest
The funds will help target a big problem for a city opening its doors to President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Convention in August. Just 17.94% of registered voters in suburban Cook County and 25.7% of registered voters in Chicago voted in person or by mail in the March 19 primary.
Playing time has dwindled for Tinordi, a physical defensive defenseman who was a pleasant surprise for the Hawks last season but hasn’t found nearly as much success without Connor Murphy.
His surgeons spent 10 hours transplanting his new lungs and liver in September. Six months after the operation, Dr. Gary Gibbon remains cancer-free, able to breathe on his own and celebrated his 69th birthday on Wednesday.
White Sox fans from all over will flock to Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday for the team’s home opener against the Tigers.