As a result of the November election, there will be 12 new Senators in the 113th Congress, and four of those have some chicken in their respective states. The make-up of the freshmen class is eight Democrats, three Republicans, and one Independent.
The eight Democrats are:
- Tammy Baldwin (WI)
- Joe Donnelly (IN)
- Martin Heinrich (NM)
- Heidi Heitkamp (ND)
- Mazie Hirono (HI)
- Tim Kaine (VA)
- Chris Murphy (CT)
- Elizabeth Warren (MA)
The three Republicans are:
- Ted Cruz (TX)
- Deb Fischer (NE)
- Jeff Flake (AZ)
The one Independent is Angus King (ME).
Biographic profiles for the four senators from states that have some poutlry interests are as follows:
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI): Baldwin was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin. She was born in Madison, graduated from Smith College, and returned to Madison to become an intern to Governor Tony Earl. While interning, Baldwin graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School. The newly elected Senator served seven terms in the House and her major issue while serving in the House was health care reform. She also supported increased regulation of financial institutions and extension of unemployment benefits.
Joe Donnelly (D-IN): Donnelly announced he would run for the U.S. Senate seat of Republican incumbent Richard Lugar rather than defend a district that he won in 2010 by only one percentage point. Donnelly served three terms in the U.S. House, was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition (a group of Democrats who support fiscal restraint); was one of 54 Democrats who voted to extend some provisions of the Patriot Act; and voted against all five budget plans for fiscal 2012. Donnelly represented a district that included part of Kokomo, the site of GM and Chrysler. His voting record is in sync with the views of organized labor and the United Auto Workers union. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with two degrees, including a law degree.
Tim Kaine (D-VA): Kaine grew up in Kansas City, working in his father’s iron working shop, and he graduated from the University of Missouri and Harvard Law school. He began his public service career when he took a year off law school to work with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras. He served as a principal of a technical school that taught teenagers carpentry and welding. After finishing law school, Kaine practiced law for 18 years specializing in representing people who had been denied housing due to their race or disability. In 2001, Kaine was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia under Governor Mark Warner, and in 2005, was elected Virginia’s 70th Governor. During his tenure as governor, Tim cut the state budget by more than $5 billion; expanded early childhood and technical education; reformed the state’s mental health for foster care programs; and worked to protect the Chesapeake Bay’s open space.
Ted Cruz (R-TX): Cruz’s father came from Cuba and worked his way through the University of Texas washing dishes. He spoke no English. Cruz graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School magna cum laude and was a founding editor of the Harvard Latino Law Review. He clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist and was the first Hispanic ever to have clerked for the chief justice. He served as the solicitor general of Texas and was the youngest solicitor general in the nation. Prior to serving as solicitor general, Cruz served as the director of the office of policy planning at the Federal Trade Commission.
