Patty Murray

Patty Murray
Official portrait, 2013
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Patrick Leahy
Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Patrick Leahy
Committee positions 2011–⁠2023 Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee In office February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 Preceded by Lamar Alexander Succeeded by Bernie Sanders Chair of the Senate Budget Committee In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015 Preceded by Kent Conrad Succeeded by Mike Enzi Chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 Preceded by Daniel Akaka Succeeded by Bernie Sanders
Party positions 2001–⁠2023 Senate Assistant Democratic Leader In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2023 Leader Chuck Schumer Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Position abolished Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2017 Leader Harry Reid Preceded by Debbie Stabenow Succeeded by Tammy Baldwin Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2013 Leader Harry Reid Preceded by Bob Menendez Succeeded by Michael Bennet In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2003 Leader Tom Daschle Preceded by Robert Torricelli Succeeded by Jon Corzine
United States Senator from Washington
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1993 Serving with Maria Cantwell
Preceded by	Brock Adams
Member of the Washington Senate from the 1st district
In office January 9, 1989 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Bill Kiskaddon
Succeeded by	Rosemary McAuliffe
Personal details
Born	Patricia Lynn Johns (1950-10-11) October 11, 1950 (age 74) Bothell, Washington, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Rob Murray ​ (m. 1972)​
Children	2
Education	Washington State University (BA)
Occupation	Politician environmentalist educator
Website	Senate website
Patty Murray's voice Patty Murray speaks in opposition to legislation that would enact nationwide abortion restrictions Recorded September 14, 2022

Patricia Lynn Murray (née Johns; born October 11, 1950) is an American politician and president pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2023 and the senior United States Senator from Washington since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Murray served in the Washington State Senate from 1989 to 1993. She was Washington's first female U.S. senator and is the first woman in American history to hold the position of president pro tempore. Murray is also the youngest senator to occupy the office of president pro tempore in more than five decades.^[1] As president pro tempore, Murray is third in the line of succession to the U.S. presidency.^[a]

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 was elected to serve on her local school board in King County. She ran for the Washington State Senate in 1988, and defeated two-term incumbent Bill Kiskaddon. She served one term before launching a campaign for the United States Senate in 1992. She has been re-elected five times, most recently in 2022.

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. She currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. Before assuming her current roles, Murray has previously chaired at various times, the Veterans' Affairs Committee, the Budget Committee, and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. 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 third-most senior senator,^[2] the most senior Senate Democrat, the longest-serving female senator ever, and the dean of Washington's congressional delegation.

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