Democrat Barbara Boxer is a United States Senator from California. A 1962 graduate of Brooklyn College, she received a bachelor's degree in economics. Her political career began in 1977 when she began serving as a member of the Board of Supervisors for Marin County. She served as a member of Congress for nine years and in 1993 was elected to the U.S. Senate.http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=53274

Boxer initially worked as a stockbroker and as a journalist after earning her degree in economics. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, and worked largely on the House Armed Services Committee. http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=53274 She was an outspoken defender of Anita Hill during the contentious confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She is routinely ranked among the most progressive Democrats in the Senate and was one of only two Senators to support Russ Feingold's proposal to censure President Bush over his domestic surveillance program in 2006.http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2009/2/21/151525/882

In addition to her work in politics, she is also a novelist. Her first book A Time To Run, was published in 2005.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/books/review/13cox.html She has also made several cameo appearances in films and TV shows including Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Steven Soderbergh movie Traffic.http://people.famouswhy.com/barbara_boxer/

In 2010, Boxer sought her fourth term as a California Senator against Republican candidate Carly Fiorina, the former Chief Executive Officer of Hewlitt-Packard. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/california/election_2010_california_senate According to the Rasmussen Reports, a public opinion polling firm, Boxer was favored by 2% over the new Republican candidate approximately two weeks prior to the November election.http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/california/election_2010_california_senateCalifornia Senate elections were held on November 2, 2010.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/21/california-senate-electio_n_770600.html Boxer defeated her opponent, Fiorina, by 9 percentage points, claiming an estimated 52% of the total vote.http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2010/results/state/#CA

As she gave her victory speeches, Boxer criticized her Republican opponent, noting, "My opponent was running on her record at Hewlett-Packard, and when we studied that record what did we find, that she had laid off 30,000 workers, shipped so many thousands of jobs - American jobs - to China and India, and of all the things that people don’t want it’s that.” http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/11/03/barbara-boxer-beats-carly-fiorina-4th-trip-senate/