Tammy Baldwin (D), a big name in Wisconsin politics, though recently overshadowed by the state’s unilateral GOP politics embodied in Scott Walker, is running for the Senate seat that has belonged to Senator Herb Kohl (D) since 1989.

Currently serving in the House of Representatives, Baldwin is well-respected for her working class advocacy, and has broad appeal in the liberal and intellectual centers of Madison and Milwaukee. She is also the first openly lesbian member of Congress. If she wins the Senate seat, she would be the first openly lesbian Senator.

Her first ad is aimed squarely at Wisconsin workers, though.

“In Wisconsin, we lead the entire nation in paper industry jobs,” says Baldwin in her first Senate campaig ad. “But China, they lead the world in cheating. And it’s costing us jobs in Wisconsin. So I brought Democrats and Republicans together to put sanctions on China now and punish them for making billions breaking trade rules.” Baldwin concludes with a shout-out to fairness: “When the rules are fair, Wisconsin workers come out ahead.”

According to a Marquette University poll, Baldwin trails former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson (R) by eight points amongst likely voters.

The contest to fill Kohl’s former Senate seat will probably attract a lot of out-of-state money, particularly from the GOP and its corporate sponsors, as the party continues its ALEC-inspired crusade to undercut Wisconsin’s famously progressive history. In 2010, Senator Russ Feingold, one of the most respected and honest politicians in America, was defeated by Tea Party upstart Ron Johnson, who made his fortune through family nepotism. If the GOP were to win Kohl’s Senate seat, it would very much alter the fabric of state and federal politics and economics for Wisconsin, emphasizing the theory that wealth will trickle down from the bank accounts of wealthy individuals and businesses.

Kohl, it should be remembered, is a very wealthy man himself, but is also progressive and a noted philanthropist. He instinctively knew how to balance capitalism with a progressive brand of politics.

Watch the ad below and check out Tammy Baldwin’s Senate campaign website to learn more about her views and voting record on issues.