Patty Murray

Democrat senior Senator of Washington

Senator
Washington
January 5, 1993 - January 3, 1999
Senator
Washington
January 6, 1999 - January 3, 2005
Senator
Washington
January 4, 2005 - January 3, 2011
Senator
Washington
January 5, 2011 - January 3, 2017
Senator
Washington
January 3, 2017 - January 3, 2023
Senator
Washington
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2029

202-224-2621

@PattyMurray

murray.senate.gov

Send Postcard

Congresses Served

Senate Terms

January 1, 1950 (74 years old)

Birthday

Has served as president pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2023
Has been the senior United States Senator from Washington since 1993
First female U.S. senator from Washington and the first woman to hold the position of president pro tempore
Served in the Washington State Senate from 1989 to 1993
Graduated from Washington State University with a degree in physical education
Worked as a preschool teacher and later as a parenting teacher at Shoreline Community College
Advocated for environmental and education issues and served on her local school board in King County
Defeated a two-term incumbent to win her state senate seat in 1988
Has been re-elected to the U.S. Senate five times, most recently in 2022
Has served in various leadership roles within the Senate, including chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Conference secretary, and assistant Democratic leader
Currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has previously chaired the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Negotiated a two-year, bipartisan budget with Republican Representative Paul Ryan in 2013, known as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013
Third-most senior senator and the most senior Senate Democrat as of her last election
Born and raised in Bothell, Washington, with a family background that includes Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and French-Canadian ancestry
Became involved in politics after being told she couldn’t make a difference as a “mom in tennis shoes”
Has focused on issues such as abortion rights, agriculture, environmental policy, federal budget, foreign relations, health care, labor, LGBTQIA+ rights, opioids, veterans, and gun control throughout her career