WA SENATE: Patty Murray (D)
Patty Murray first got involved in politics to protect a preschool program that her kids counted on.
When one legislator told her that she couldn’t make a difference because she was “just a mom in tennis shoes,” she realized that if she wanted change, she was going to have to lace up those tennis shoes and fight back. So she called other moms and dads, she organized rallies and phone banks, she fought, and she won. That program was restored.
She then decided to run for the school board and then the state legislature.
She decided to run for the United States Senate because she saw that there were far too few voices like hers at the table when decisions were made impacting women and families, and she wanted to do more than shout at the TV about it — she wanted to change it.
As senior senator for Washington state, where the first positive COVID-19 case in the U.S. was identified, she raised the alarm early in the other Washington to push the Trump administration and Congress to take the pandemic seriously. She fought daily for relief that would tackle the public health crisis and put workers, families, and local economies first, including developing and distributing vaccines, helping schools respond to the crisis and re-open safely, supporting small businesses, and helping families with paid leave, child care and direct payments.
Murray is one of the few members of Congress who is able to break through the partisanship and gridlock to get results. She never gives up on her core principles and values, but she always looks for ways to work with anyone who is willing to work with her to help people and to make progress for Washington state families and communities.
As the first woman to chair the Veterans Affairs Committee and the proud daughter of a WWII veteran, she has worked tirelessly to improve health care, housing assistance and increased benefits for veterans, to hold the VA accountable, and to support military families.
She has never forgotten where she comes from or who she represents. She goes home almost every weekend, travels across Washington state listening to her constituents, and then goes back to Washington, D.C., to help families, solve problems, and fight for Washington state priorities.
The biographical information above was sourced from the campaign website; see links above for more information.
