Patty Murray

Patty Murray is a Democratic senior United States senator from Washington. Murray was first elected to the U.S Senate in 1992, and assumed office on January 3, 1993. http://murray.senate.gov/about/ In November 2010, Murray defeated Republican Dino Rossi for her fourth term in the Senate

Patty Murray focused her campaign messages on her work in the senate on the Veteran's Affairs Committee, her position as Conference Secretary, and her experience as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.http://www.pattymurray.com/about/

Murray ran for Shoreline School District Board of Director in 1984. During her campaign, she used the slogan "mom in tennis shoes" grabbing the title from a state senator who once told her that she could not make a difference because she was just a "mom in tennis shoes."http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/us/politics/29women.html After serving on the school district Board of Directors, Murray went on to serve in the Washington State Senate from 1989 to 1993. After her time in the Washington State Senate, Murray assumed the United States Senate position in 1993, becoming the first woman elected to the Senate from the state of Washington. http://murray.senate.gov/about/

Murray was born Patricia Lynn Johns on October 11, 1950, in Bothell, Washington, to a family of seven children. Her mother, Beverly A. McLaughlin, was an accountant, and her father David L. Johns, was a U.S. soldier who fought in World War II. Murray was raised and educated in Bothell, then went on to attend Washington State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972. Upon receiving her degree, Murray went on to pursue a career as a teacher. She taught at a preschool for many years, before moving on to teach at Shoreline Community College in Shoreline, Washington, in 1984. Murray remained at Shoreline until 1987. During her career as a teacher, Murray also worked as a citizen-lobbyist for environmental and educational issues prior to launching her political career.http://murray.senate.gov/

Patty Murray is married to Rob Murray. The couple has two children, Sara and Randy, both adults. http://murray.senate.gov/about/

• 1985-1989: Served on the Shoreline School District Board of Directors
• 1989–1993: Served in the Washington State Senate
• 1993: Assumed the position of U.S. Senator from Washington
• 1998: Won reelection against Republican Representative Linda Smith
• 2002: Murray joined 20 other Democrats in the Senate to vote against authorizing the invasion of Iraq.
• 2004: Won reelection against Republican Representative George Nethercutt
• 2006: Murray voted in favor of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006
• 2008: Announced endorsement of Hilary Clinton in the 2008 presidential primaries on January 30, 2008.
• 2008: After Hilary Clinton announced her concession, Murray switched her endorsement to Barack Obama. http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=239496
• 2010: Re-election campaign against Republican Dino Rossi