Senator Baldwin looks to future, asks for bipartisanship

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- As Senator Tammy Baldwin moves into her sixth month in office, her agenda includes getting her message out at this weekend's State Democratic Convention. In an exclusive interview with FOX6 News, Baldwin discussed her future goals and present concerns as Wisconsin's senator.

"I feel like the middle class is shrinking and that there's a lot we need to do to stand up for them and help turn that around," Baldwin said.

Improving the economy and job creation at the state and national level were high on Baldwin's list of concerns. She said investing in certain key areas would incite economic growth.

"By making three key investments in education, in innovation and in infrastructure - those are the things you cannot ignore if you want to get ahead," Baldwin added.

However, Baldwin feels the Republican Party has not been receptive towards these three avenues. This refusal to cooperate, Baldwin suggests, may be the reason the state fell from 11th to 44th in job creation.

"I think it's being completely neglected by this governor and those are the investments that would put us back at the top, rather than the bottom," Baldwin said.

However, Governor Scott Walker sees things differently and defended his jobs record on Friday, June 7th.

"We've gained the first two years of our administration, 62,000 plus jobs that contrasts to the 133,000 we lost in the four years before I took office," Walker said. "I think we're going to continue to see growth."

The governor also rejected federal money for Medicaid, arguing the government subsidy is a risk to taxpayers. However, Baldwin sees this move as political.

"The last thing we need in reaching the final stages of a very large undertaking like the Affordable Care Act, is folks playing around trying to repeal it for partisan points or erecting other road blocks in the way," Baldwin said.

Baldwin urged for a more united front and said she would work to close the political divide.

"We need to pull together, no matter how partisan the original debate was and make this work," Baldwin concluded.