On the recordJanuary 5, 2011
I rise to recognize and congratulate my good friend from Maryland, Senator Barbara Mikulski, on today becoming the longest serving female Senator in the history of the Senate. This is an achievement that takes courage and passion and commitment, three things all of us who know her so well know she has in abundance. Even more important than honoring my friend on the length of her service today, I believe it is important to recognize what she has done with that service. The senior Senator from Maryland, over her 24 years, has established herself as a trailblazer, a legislator, a leader, and, above all, a fighter for her people and her State. But to me and to all the other women Senators who have followed in her footsteps, she is simply a mentor. She is the Senator who has offered us guidance, taught us to be fearless, and who has set a standard for all women Senators to follow. From the first time I ever spoke to Senator Mikulski, one thing was clear. She didn't run for the Senate to be one woman Senator. She ran to be one of many.
