Dino Rossi and Patty Murray

As the Senate election in Washington State gets closer and closer, it is important to know who each representative is and what they stand for. Each candidate has been given a label, but what do we really know about the "businessman" Dino Rossi or the "mom in tennis shoes" Patty Murray?

Dino Rossi

Dino Rossi was born in Washington State. He earned a business degree from Seattle University. Rossi served in the State Senate representing the 5th legislative district from 1997 to 2003. He ran for Governor in 2004, but lost on the third count by a close 129 votes. He ran for Governor once more in 2008, but he could not "overcome the Democratic wave that swept the nation that fall." (dinorossi.com) Shortly after, Rossi joined a commercial real estate firm. He could not, however, stay away from politics. He saw the trouble our nation was in and decided to run for the the 2010 US Senate. Some of Dino Rossi's goals are to promote economic growth and create jobs, fix our health care, reform our tax code, reduce government spending, lessen America's dependence on energy, control the border and fix immigration, and to defend America and its allies. 

Patty Murray

Born in Washington State, Patty Murray was educated in the Bothell public school districts and earned her Bachelor's degree from Washington State University in Arts. Patty Murray is no beginner when it comes to politics. She was the the first woman to serve in the Washington State Senate in 1992. She currently serves as the Senate's Conference Secretary along with serving on many other committees. Being the daughter of a WWII veteran has led her to take action on behalf of our nation's veterans. "Since 9/11, Senator Murray has paid special attention to ensuring that our nation is protected by working to improve the security of our nation’s ports and the cargo they receive." (pattymurray.com) Senator Murray has positioned herself as an advocate for our nation's education system. She promotes economic development and encourages job growth as she works on the Appropriations Committee. These are just a few of the contributions Senator Murray has made.