Tammy Baldwin victorious in hard-fought, contentious Senate race

Democrat Tammy Baldwin emerged victorious over Republican Tommy Thompson in a hard-fought and bitter race for U.S. Senate that drew national attention and tens of millions of dollars in outside spending.

The victory is historic.

Baldwin is both the first woman from Wisconsin elected to the U.S. Senate, and she becomes the first openly gay person to serve in the Senate.

"Tonight, at the end of a long and hard-fought campaign, we have won a huge victory for Wisconsin's middle class," Baldwin told an ebullient crowd of more than 1,000 support ers in Madison.