Edith Nourse Rogers

Classy Senator Barbara Mikulski Of Maryland To Retire After Longest Service Of Any Woman In Congressional History!

A true giant of the US Senate, willing to fight for her liberal beliefs over 40 years, Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, has announced her retirement in 2016, joining another outstanding woman Senator, Barbara Boxer of California, in choosing to retire.

Mikulski will have served five terms, 30 years in the Senate, the all time record, and also served ten years in the House, making her 40 years an all time record for women in Congress. She surpassed the 35 years of Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, Republican of Massachusetts, who served from 1925 to 1960 in the House of Representatives.

Along the way, Mikulski has “raised hell”, and always been there for her constituents, the average people of her state of Maryland, fighting the good fight as a leading progressive on all issues. She began her career as a community organizer, the same activity that Barack Obama was engaged in, and often ridiculed, which is horrible, as community organizers work with the poor. Why should anyone deplore such people, who truly commit themselves to those less fortunate? And yet, we live in a nation in 2015 where this is seen as a negative, rather than the positive impact that it has on those not privileged in our society!

The likelihood is that former Governor Martin O’Malley, who wants to be President, but has almost no chance to seek it now with Hillary Clinton far ahead in all polls and O’Malley hardly registering at all in the polls, will seek to go to the Senate. However, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Elijah Cummings, and Congresswoman Donna Edwards are likely to compete for the seat as well, with the latter two being African Americans.

Longevity Of Senator Barbara Mikulski And Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Celebrated!

Women’s role in politics has grown tremendously in recent years, and today we celebrate Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Toledo, Ohio, both of whom have set records for longevity.

Senator Mikulski already had passed former Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine in Senate longevity a few months ago, upon beginning her fifth term in the Senate. But now, just today, she has become the longest serving woman in Congressional history, as she has now served more than 35 years in both houses of Congress, with 12 years in the House of Representatives, and now more than 24 years in the US Senate. She, therefore, has surpassed Republican Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachuetts who served nearly 36 years in the House from 1925-1960!

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has served longer than any woman in the history of the House of Representatives, with nearly 30 years service, except for Rogers. She is also tied for fourth longest serving woman in Congress with California Senator Barbara Boxer, behind Mikulski, Rogers, and Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, who has announced her retirement at the end of this year.

All of these women–Mikulski, Rogers, Kaptur, Boxer, and Snowe, as well as Smith, are testimonials to the growing role and influence of women in Congress, with only Rogers and Smith, from an entirely different era and Republican Party, being a non Democrat!