Sen. Murray seeks 6th term at new inflection point for women

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state is seeking her sixth term at a new inflection point for women. She was first elected in 1992 during the “Year of the Woman,” motivated in part by the way Anita Hill was treated at Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Murray’s run for reelection now coincides with the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. Her campaign has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars blasting her Republican rival Tiffany Smiley ahead of their Aug. 2 primary. Observers say the fact that the longtime incumbent is up so early with aggressive messaging shows Democrats’ concerns about the political environment for incumbents.