WASHINGTON — There’s a disturbance in the force of the tradition-bound Senate and her name is Patty Murray.
The Washington state Democrat, once famously dubbed “just a mom in tennis shoes,” is the reason behind an uncomfortable power standoff between two men who intend to lead the Democrats after Minority Leader Harry Reid retires. Murray, her quiet style and her clout amassed more than 22 years in the Senate, poses a challenge to the way things work in Washington. She’s poised to be the first woman in the Senate’s top-tier leadership. And she’s outgrown her image as the ultimate underdog, if not the mom in storied footwear.
Murray pats a ceramic Nike sneaker decorating an end table in her Capitol Hill office.
“It’s who I am,” Murray, 64, says of the intended insult from a state representative that she turned into a campaign theme.