Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced her support for the Iran nuclear deal Wednesday, becoming the 34th senator to do so and giving the White House the support it needs to sustain a veto in order to overrule congressional Republicans opposed to the deal.
Having a deciding voice on a major piece of legislation is just the cherry on top of Mikulski’s lengthy career. She announced in March that she will retire in 2016, but she will leave Capitol Hill having left her mark.
Mikulski was the first Democratic woman to serve in both houses of Congress, the first woman to win a state-wide election in Maryland and the first woman to serve as the head of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
She has also been a champion of women’s rights, a die-hard Baltimore Ravens fan and has proudly discussed her childhood as a Girl Scout.
After 29 years in the Senate, Mikulski will retire as the chamber’s longest-serving woman.