Patricia Lynn Murray (née Johns; born October 11, 1950) is an American politician and retired educator serving as the senior United States senator from Washington, a seat she has held since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Murray previously served in the Washington State Senate and is Washington's first female U.S. senator.
Born and raised in Bothell, Washington, Murray graduated from Washington State University with a degree in physical education. She worked as a pre-school teacher and, later, as a parenting teacher at Shoreline Community College. A long-time advocate for environmental and education issues, Murray ran for the Washington State Senate in 1988, and defeated two-term incumbent Bill Kiskaddon. She served one term in the state senate, before launching a successful campaign for the United States Senate in 1992. She has been re-elected four times, and is currently running for a sixth term in the 2022 election.
As a senator, Murray has been a part of party leadership since 2001, having served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Conference secretary, and assistant Democratic leader, among several committee chair positions. Murray garnered national attention in 2013, when she and Republican representative Paul Ryan announced that they had negotiated a two-year, bipartisan budget, known as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. Murray is currently the sixth-most senior member of the Senate, the third-most senior Democrat, and the dean of Washington's congressional delegation.


== Early life ==
One of seven children, Murray was born in Bothell, Washington, a daughter of David L. Johns and Beverly A. McLaughlin. Her mother was an accountant. Her father served in World War II and was awarded a Purple Heart. Her ancestry includes Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and French-Canadian. When she was a teenager, her family was forced to apply for welfare assistance when her father became disabled by multiple sclerosis. He had been the manager of a five-and-ten store. Murray attended Saint Brendan Catholic School as a young child.
Murray received her Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education from Washington State University in 1972. She was a preschool teacher for several years, and taught a parenting class at Shoreline Community College from 1984 to 1987.


== Early career ==
As a citizen-lobbyist for environmental and educational issues, Murray has said, a state representative once told her she could not make a difference because she was just a "mom in tennis shoes". The phrase stuck, and she later used it in her successful campaigns for Shoreline School District board of directors (1985–89), Washington State Senate (1989–93), and United States Senate (1993–present). Murray was successful in gathering grassroots support to strike down proposed preschool program budget cuts.In 1988, Murray unseated two-term incumbent Republican state senator Bill Kiskaddon.


== U.S. Senate (1993–present) ==


=== Committee assignments ===

Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Defense
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Chair)
Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Committee on the Budget
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Chair)
Committee on Veterans' Affairs


=== Caucus memberships ===
Senate Oceans Caucus
Senate Aerospace Caucus
Afterschool Caucuses
Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus


=== Legislation ===
On February 28, 2013, Murray introduced the Green Mountain Lookout Heritage Protection Act into the Senate. The bill would prevent the United States Forest Service from removing a building from the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area in the state of Washington unless the agency determines that the structure is unsafe for visitors. Murray argued that the bill should be passed in order to help the tourism industry in the area while protecting the lookout point in question. The bill would be "a very small step in what will be a very long recovery" and would "provide a glimmer of hope for the long-term recovery of this area", she said, referring to the area's recovery from the casualties and damage caused by the 2014 Oso mudslide. The bill passed both the House and the Senate.


== Political positions ==


=== Abortion ===
Murray supports abortion rights. She opposed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill criminalizing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, saying on the Senate floor: "I oppose the fact that we are still voting on whether women and doctors are best equipped to make health care decisions — or politicians here in D. C." She also voted against restricting US funding for UN family planning programs.


=== Agriculture ===
In March 2019, Murray was one of 38 senators to sign a letter to United States Secreta