CHARLOTTE, NC (WTAQ) - U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin says her election opponent doesn’t really know Wisconsin anymore.

The Madison congresswoman told the Democratic National Convention Thursday night that former Governor Tommy Thompson and other Republicans like Paul Ryan are not in sync with what she referred to several times as “the Wisconsin I know.”

Baldwin said her 14 years in the House were a hallmark for fairness. She cited efforts to fight discrimination, help manufacturers, and pass financial reforms that benefit the middle class. In contrast, she said the state’s leading Republicans support tax cuts for the wealthy, and sacrifices by the needy.

And Baldwin said they favor an economic plan from Mitt Romney that would, “only bust our budget.”

In November, Baldwin faces a political icon in Thompson, who ran the Badger State for 14 years before serving four years as President George W. Bush’s health secretary.

Baldwin said Thompson then stayed in Washington and, “cashed in on his special interest connections and never really came back” to Wisconsin. But he remains one of the state’s most popular political figures.

Recent polls showed him leading Baldwin by up to 9 points – and that Baldwin is still trying to get voters outside her Madison House district to get to know her.

She hoped Thursday night’s speech would help in that regard.

Baldwin appeared with other prominent women at the Charlotte convention in support of President Obama. He elaborated on the stark choices that voters face.